Top flight teams slide at Spanish Copa del Rey

Top flight teams slide at Spanish Copa del Rey

 MADRID, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Spanish La Liga clubs withered¹ Thursday in the remaining matches in the first leg of the third round of the Spanish Copa del Rey knockout competition.

Athletic² Bilbao kicked off the day with a 0-0 draw away to local third tier (Segunda B) side Eibar in a tough match on a muddy pitch.

Valladolid will take a narrow 1-0 lead to play Betis in a fortnight thanks to a single Aberto Bueno goal, which arrived eight minutes before halftime.

Getafe enjoyed a comfortable 4-0 win away to Ponferadina with a side made up mainly of fringe players, while Sporting Gijon will take a 1-0 lead to Pamplona after the second division side earned a 1-0 win against the side currently bottom of the La Liga thanks to a 15th-minute Sangoy goal.

Real Sociedad were another top flight side to lose away from home and their dreadful form on the road continued thanks to a 2-0 defeat in Cordoba with Patino and Rennella scoring for the home side.

Another lower league side to perform well were Melilla, who defeated a Levante side packed with substitutes 1-0. While Sevilla defeated Espanyol 3-1 in a clash between two La Liga sides.

Once again both coaches decided³ to rest key players ahead of their weekend league matches. Federico Fazio, Cala and Alvaro Negredo, who netted a last-minute penalty, scored for the home side, while Christian⁴ Alfonso's goal means a 2-0 home win in two weeks will give Espanyol a place in the next round.

Tuesday and Wednesday had seen Barcelona win 3-0 away to Alaves, while Real Madrid won 4-1 away to Alcoyano and Atletico Madrid triumphed 3-0 in Jaen to virtually assure their progress into the last 16.

1 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

2 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。