Villarreal have made it through to the Copa del Rey semi-finals for the first time in their history by beating Getafe 1-0 this evening.
They had claimed a 1-0 victory in last week's first leg and Gerard's late goal tonight helped to wrap up a 2-0 aggregate win.
The Yellow Submarine are now unbeaten in 18 games and will face Barcelona in the last four of the competition.
Find out how the action unfolded below.
Good evening everyone! It has been a great week of cup football across Europe, with plenty of shocks and some stunning games. Let's hope that the trend continues tonight, as Getafe and Villarreal battle it out for a place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
The game tonight is very finely poised, with the visitors 1-0 up from last week's first leg. A brilliant free kick from Bruno Soriano at Estadio El Madrigal was all that separated the teams and it gives Villarreal the slightest of advantages tonight
TEAM NEWS: The teams have been announced and I can reveal that Joel Campbell goes straight into the Villarreal starting lineup, just a day after joining the club on loan from Arsenal. However, they will be playing their first game without Brazilian Gabriel Paulista, who went in the opposite direction as part of that deal.
TEAMS:
GETAFE XI: Jona, Arroyo, Alexis, Velazquez, Escudero, Pedro Leon, Astray, Hinestroza, Buendia, Selma, Ivi
VILLARREAL XI: Asenjo, Mario, Ruiz, Dorado, Rukavina, Pina, Trigueros, Campbell, Gomez, Uche, Gerard
It has been a pretty tough season for tonight's hosts in La Liga, but their 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo on Monday evening has lifted them up to 14th in the table and four points clear of the relegation zone. They certainly had a big slice of luck in that match, as Celta hit the bar with a penalty, minutes before Pablo Sarabia scored the winner.
Victory could not really have come at a much better time, as it ended a barren nine-game winless run in the league. They had actually lost their last three games before it and had not collected three points since a 2-1 win at Deportivo on Halloween.
In stark contrast, their opponents this evening are a Villarreal side who have gone 17 games unbeaten in all competitions since a Europa League defeat away to FC Zurich last November. They are also on a 10 game unbeaten streak in La Liga, which includes a 1-0 win away to the champions Atletico Madrid.
Perhaps rather surprisingly, Villarreal have never gone beyond the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. They were not a major force in Spanish football until the turn of the century, so that goes some way to explaining it. Getafe, however, have managed to reach two cup finals, but in 2007 and 2008 they were runners up to Sevilla and Valencia.
Things won't get any easier for whoever makes it through tonight's tie, as Barcelona lie in wait in the last four. Lionel Messi and co have certainly found their best form in recent weeks, which makes the task even more daunting.
PREDICTION: Cup football is always notoriously tricky to predict and judging by some of the games I've seen in the last week anything could happen tonight. However, I have been impressed whenever I have seen Villarreal play this season, so I am going to tip the Yellow Submarine to earn another 1-0 win and reach the semis for the first time in their history.
The two teams have just emerged from the tunnel and out onto the pitch. I can tell you that the stadium doesn't look overly packed, which is no real surprise.
KICKOFF! We are underway at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez!
Getafe have enjoyed plenty of the ball in the opening minutes and they get an early chance to push men into the box from a free kick. Leon whips it in from the left, but his set piece isn't the best and fails to clear the first man.
Campbell looks like he is keen to impress on his debut for the club and he has seen quite a few touches down the right. He is yet to really get on the ball and show his attacking prowess, but the Costa Rican does have the quality to make the difference.
SAVE! Villarreal are almost made to pay for giving away a very cheap corner as Getafe threaten from the resulting set piece. It's Leon who makes contact with the ball, but his effort to the far post is tipped away by Asenjo.
There is a worry here for the Getafe keeper as he comes off his line to close down Uche and ends up taking a kick off the Villarreal man. Having received some treatment from the medical staff, it looks like he will be okay to continue though.
Leon has played in some great set pieces for the hosts and he whips a fine free kick into the danger zone, that is missed by everyone in the middle. Villarreal's defending there was far from confident and you would expect much better from them in that situation.
CHANCE! The visitors are starting to play some good football now and a flowing move ends with Trigueros being picked out at the back post. He drives in a decent looking shot, but it ends up taking a big deflection and looping just over the bar.
Villarreal have got a strong hold on the possession at the moment, but they are yet to really test Jona. They will be more than happy to keep the ball and wait for their chance to get in behind, given that they already have the lead in this tie.
At the midway point in this first half, Getafe will be pleased at how things are going. They have been solid at the back, but if they are to get through to the semis then they are going to have to inject some more pace and precision into their attack.
It's all gone a bit quiet at the moment and I can't remember either keeper having to make a save since Asenjo's early stop. The game is in desperate need of a spark to get things going, but it doesn't look like arriving just yet.
Well, we have now had a shot from the hosts, but after working some room around 25 yards out from goal, Ivi scuffs his effort well wide of the target.
YELLOW CARD! Rukavina picks up the first booking of the match for bringing down Leon just inside the Getafe half.
Campbell shows his pace and strength to win the ball in the middle and charges forwards. He then looks to slide the ball through to Moreno, but it is well cut out on the edge of the box by a last-ditch block.
It doesn't look as if we will be seeing a goal before half time, or indeed before the 90 minutes are through. Of course if Getafe were to go 1-0 ahead, then the possibility of extra time will arise.
As we approach the break, Villarreal are firmly in command and they are happy to just play the ball between their defence and midfield. Just like their opponents, they have lacked a bit of a cutting edge up front and have rarely looked like scoring.
We're going to have one minute of added on time.
CHANCE! This is about as close as either side have come to scoring in the first half. Leon is found in the middle, but he is unable to adjust his feet properly and ends up poking the ball wide of the far post.
HALF-TIME: Getafe 0-0 Villarreal
A very uninspiring half of football comes to a close and it is goalless between Getafe and Villarreal. As things stand, the visitors will be going through thanks to their 1-0 win in the first leg and there is nothing to suggest that the hosts are capable of mounting a comeback.
Getafe have probably had the best chances of the match, with Leon forcing a save out of Asenjo, before putting an effort wide on the stroke of half time. Uche put a strike over the bar from an offside position for Villarreal, but they are yet to find the target so far.
If you still haven't got your fix of Copa del Rey action at the end of this match, then don't fear, as we will be bringing you live coverage of Sevilla's tie against Espanyol, which kicks off at 9pm. Los Rojiblancos are 3-1 down following the first leg, so you can be sure that there will be plenty of action there.
Getafe take the kick off for the second half and get the match back underway!
Out of nothing, Getafe almost profit from a lapse at the back. A long pass forward looking for Ivi should be cut out by Asenjo, but the keeper misses the ball. Fortunately for him, his defence are back to cover and clear away the danger.
CHANCE! Villarreal are starting to create some decent chances now and they win a succession of corners down the left. One of the deliveries ends up with Gerard seeing his close range shot blocked, just seconds after the ball appeared to hit Hinestroza on the arm.
CHANCE! This is a wonderful chance for the hosts. Ivi shows great skill to beat Gaspar down the left, before drilling a teasing ball across the box. Hinestroza is in there, but he just can't stretch enough to apply a finishing touch as the ball heads out of play.
With the game so finely poised, I just wonder if we will see the likes of Dos Santos or Vietto introduced by the visitors, as one goal now will surely be enough to confirm their passage into the next round.
OFF THE BAR! Getafe spring into life and Hinestroza almost finds the net when his cross from the left ends up hitting the bar. Asenjo may have got the faintest of touches and if he did that's a fine stop from the keeper.
SUBSTITUTION: Villarreal have made their first change of the match, but it's neither of the players I mentioned. Cheryshev is the man brought on, with Campbell's debut coming to an end.
Cheryshev has looked lively since coming on and he sets up an attack with a driving run through the midfield. He then slips the ball out wide for Gomez to cross, but his delivery is just too high for Uche at the back post.
SUBSTITUTION: Getafe have made a change of their own with Sarabia coming on.
YELLOW CARD! Leon collides with Rukavina inside the box and goes down, but he sees his appeals for a penalty turned down and is then booked for diving by the referee.
SUBSTITUTION: It's another change for the visitors, as Dos Santos comes on to replace Uche.
This is the time in the match that Getafe really need to step up and start pushing forward and they are seeing the ball in some promising areas. With a little more quality in the final third they could cause some real problems for Villarreal here.
Gomez has been one of Villarreal's best attacking players today and once again he gets in behind down the right. He ends up whipping a dangerous ball across the box, but the keeper does well to parry it clear.
SUBSTITUTION: Alvaro is coming on for Getafe, with Leon rather surprisingly being replaced.
SUBSTITUTION: Villarreal make their final change of the evening, with Dos Santos on for Trigueros.
GOAL! Getafe 0-1 Villarreal (Gerard)
That should do it for Villarreal, as they take the lead on the night and go 2-0 up in the tie. It's a well-worked move, as Gerard is slipped through the middle by Cheryshev, before rounding the keeper and slotting the ball into the empty net.
The final result seems like a formality now and Villarreal are dominating the possession. The goal has just enabled them to see out the rest of the match with a comfortable cushion, ahead of their weekend clash against Barcelona.
Dos Sanots is more than capable of the spectacular, but the Mexican is a bit greedy here, as he works some room down the right, before cutting in and trying to bend one in the top corner. The angle was always against him and he ends up blazing the ball well over the bar.
SUBSTITUTION: Sammir is coming on for the final minutes for the hosts, with Ivi heading off.
We are going to have two minutes of stoppage time.
FULL-TIME: Getafe 0-1 Villarreal
It's all over here and Villarreal have made it through to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey for the first time! Gerard's goal in the final minutes helped to seal their passage after last week's first leg victory. Getafe never looked like posing a threat and their focus will now turn to La Liga survival.
Right, that's all from me this evening, but we still have further live coverage from Spain, as Sevilla try to overturn a two-goal deficit against Espanyol. Until next time, Goodbye!
Written by
Alex Meyers
Alex Meyers
