Second division Mirandes into Copa del Rey semifinal

MADRID - Spanish second division outfit Mirandes booked their place in the semifinals of Spain's Copa del Rey after a thrilling 4-2 win over top-flight side Villarreal on Wednesday.

The win sees the team from the small town of Miranda del Ebro in the north of Spain claim a hat-trick of top-flight scalps, having already knocked Celta Vigo and Sevilla out of the competition.

Mirandes have reached the semifinals for only the second time in their history after a dramatic game which saw them open the scoring in the 17th minute after Matheus Barroso broke through the Villarreal defense before beating Andres Fernandez at his near post.

Javi Ontiveros equalized from a free-kick just after the half hour, although the home side retook the lead from the penalty spot in first-half injury-time after VAR spotted Xavi Quintilla's handball following a corner.

Martin Merquelanz made no mistake from the spot after Mirandes had missed penalties in the two previous rounds.

Another handball allowed Santi Cazorla to level the scores ten minutes after the break, but Villarreal lost concentration when defending a free-kick three minutes later, allowing Odei Onaindia to prod home.

Villarreal introduced record signing Paco Alcacer into the game, but Mirandes withstood the pressure and had chances to seal the win before Merquelanz set up Antonio Sanchez to slip the ball into an empty net in injury-time, sending the 5,500 fans in the Anduva stadium into raptures.

Tuesday had seen Granada beat Valencia 2-1 in the first quarterfinal, while Athletic Bilbao play Barcelona and Real Madrid entertain Real Sociedad on Thursday.