Copa del Rey News: Miraculous Mirandes reach the semis

Spanish Football / Michael Lintorn / 25 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Could this trophy end up in the hands of a third division team this season?

"Mirandes haven’t fluked their way into the final four, dumping out three top-flight sides: Villarreal, Racing and Espanyol."

The winners of tonight's Copa del Rey quarter-final Clasico could meet minnows Mirandes in the final after they caused another huge upset against Espanyol...

Novelda, Real Union, Alcorcon. The Copa del Rey regularly provides a chance for obscure Spanish lower-league clubs to gain a bit of international exposure. Their fun isn't supposed to last this late into the competition though.

Eight years had passed since someone outside of La Liga last reached the semi-finals, and even then it was recently relegated Alaves, so what Segunda B promotion hopefuls Mirandes have achieved in becoming the second club ever from that level to get this far is spectacular.

The third-tier team from the city of Miranda de Ebro, which has a tiny population of around 40,000, haven't fluked their way into the final four either, dumping out three top-flight sides: Villarreal, Racing Santander and Espanyol.

Their latest triumph over Espanyol, fifth in La Liga, was the best yet, regardless of it coming on away goals after a 2-1 win on Tuesday, because of the manner in which they reacted to the seemingly morale-shredding surrender of a 2-0 lead in the final six minutes of the away leg.

Odds of [14.0] on them lifting the trophy put them ahead of two La Liga survivors in the betting, and there is no reason to dampen dreams of the final having got this far, particularly as they will dodge Barcelona or Real Madrid in the semis.

Instead, they will meet either Mallorca or, more likely given their odds of [1.1] to qualify from a tie that they are 2-0 up in, Athletic Bilbao, whose fight on three fronts will surely catch up with them at some stage.

If Mirandes do defy all expectations one more time, it is Barcelona rather than Real Madrid, Valencia and Levante from the other half of the draw who in all probability will make the defining moment of their existence even more remarkable by facing them in the final.

Pep Guardiola's men are [1.67] to follow their first-leg success away to Real Madrid with a home victory on Wednesday night (comprehensive preview here).

Jose Mourinho continues to be slaughtered in the Madrid press ahead of the game, harshly being compared to the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner in AS for his willingness to abandon ship, as the media anticipate a summer exit. He is [8.4] to silence his critics by finding a way through.