Paramount Girona beats Rayo to return to Copa del Rey quarter-finals

MADRID: Girona is making a run for the Copa del Rey title, too. The Catalan club defeated Rayo Vallecano 3-1 at home Wednesday to reach the quarter-final for the first time in five years.

Cristhian Stuani scored a pair of goals four minutes apart in the first half for Girona, which is the surprise leader of the Spanish league near the competition’s halfway point. It leads Real Madrid by a point having played an extra game.

Girona didn’t get past the second round of the Copa last season. It was eliminated by Real Madrid 7-3 on aggregate the last time it reached the quarter-final.

Rayo didn’t get past the round of 32 last season, but the previous year made a run to the semi-finals.

Stuani scored for the hosts in the 15th and 19th minutes, and Daley Blind added the third in the 26th. Rayo scored through Randy Nteka in the 36th.

Osasuna, which lost last year’s final to Real Madrid, was eliminated by Real Sociedad 2-0, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring in the 57th and Mikel Merino adding the second in stoppage time.

Osasuna managed only one attempt on target and played with 10 men from the 56th after Alejandro Catena was sent off with a straight red card. Sociedad, sitting sixth in the Spanish league, will be playing in the Copa quarter-final for the third straight season. It was eliminated by Barcelona in 2023 and by eventual champion Real Betis in 2022.

Vigo left behind its league struggles by winning 3-1 at Valencia to reach the Copa quarter-final for the first time since 2017.

Anastasios Douvikas scored twice and Luca de la Torre added another for Celta, which sits just outside the relegation zone in the Spanish league.

Pepelu scored for Valencia, a Copa finalist in 2022 and a quarterfinalist in 2023. Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca advanced to the last eight on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Atletico Madrid hosts defending champion Real Madrid, while Barcelona visits third-division club Unionistas.