Copa del Rey wrap: Ronaldo strikes again, Villarreal salvage draw

Real Madrid were 2-0 winners at Ponferradina while Villarreal rescued a draw at Mirandes in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday.

Goals from Jose Callejon and Cristiano Ronaldo proved enough for Real to see off the third-tier outfit in the first leg of their round-of-32 clash.

Jose Mourinho named a strong side for their road trip, with the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka and Gonzalo Higuain all handed starting berths.

And it was Ronaldo who came close to scoring in the early stages, only to be denied by a smart save from the on-rushing Orlando Quintana.

Callejon then opted to pass to Ronaldo instead of shooting himself when presented with a golden opportunity but the former scored soon after when he poked home Sami Khedira’s cross on 29 minutes.

Ponferradina gave Real a scare just after half-time though, with Carlos Ruiz and Luis Domenech combining before the latter saw his shot crash into the crossbar.

Real defender Raul Albiol was then sent off for a second yellow card on 68 minutes, raising the hopes of the hosts.

But Ronaldo killed off the game with 16 minutes to play when he charged into the penalty box and squeezed his shot under the body of Quintana at the near post.

The win means Real can relax in the second leg, with a two-goal advantage and a home match sure to book them passage into the last 16.

In other matches, Borja Valero’s late strike saw Valencia avoid defeat at third-tier Mirandes.

Alain Arroyo scored in the 26th minute for the underdogs but with six minutes to go, the visitors snatched an important equaliser heading into the second leg.

A Xabi Prieto doubled fire Real Sociedad to a 4-1 win over Granada in a top-flight clash while Saul also bagged a brace in Deportivo La Coruna’s 3-1 home success against Levante.

Valencia were held to a goalless draw at Cadiz, while Celta de Vigo and Espanyol also played out a 0-0 stalemate.

Malaga and Sporting Gijon recorded 1-0 wins on the road at Getafe and Mallorca respectively and Osasuna also notched an impressive away triumph, defeating Almeria 3-1.

Cordoba beat Real Betis 1-0 and Racing Santander edged Rayo Vallecano 3-2.