La Liga

Remarkable Mirandés Reach Copa del Rey Semi Finals

What an amazing story Mirandes is. The club, stuck in the third-tier of Spanish football, came from a goal down to beat Espanyol 2-1 in their Copa Del Rey quarter-final second leg and progress to the tournaments semi-finals on the away goals rule.

Espanyol took a precarious 3-2 first-leg lead to Mirandés tiny stadium in Miranda de Ebro in northern Spain. Espanyol were well aware that Mirandes had previously knocked out  Villarreal and Real Racing Club in the Copa del Rey this season.

Espanyol thought they were on their way to the semi-finals when Rui Fonte scored in the first minute of the second half to put them 1-0 up on the night and 4-2 on aggregate.

However, the Segunda B Grupo 2 leaders levelled 12 minutes later when Mirandes captain Pablo Infante equalised with just over half an hour left. Still the giant killers still needed another goal to advance and they laid siege to the Espanyol goal in the final stages before César Fernández headed in an added-time winner to complete a memorable away-goals triumph.

The Rojillos, only the second side from the third tier to reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals  will face the winner of Athletic Bilbao or Real Mallorca.