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3-0: Into the final four
RCD Espanyol's under-19s (Juvenil-A) book their place in the Copa del Rey Juvenil semi-finals
RCD Espanyol Juvenil A (under-19s) beat Real Betis Juvenil DH 3-0 to reach the Copa del Rey Juvenil semi-final on Wednesday.
Having overcome Real Madrid in dramatic fashion to reach the quarter-final, Javi Chica’s young pericos welcomed Betis to the Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque with a place in the final four at stake. Espanyol started the game brilliantly and took the lead inside 10 minutes, as Ferran Gómez struck a powerful header from a corner past the goalkeeper.
At 1-0, Espanyol continued to dominate and took advantage of their momentum to score the second, when Jan Moreno set up Sergio Rivarés to double the Mágico’s lead inside the first quarter of the encounter. Betis pressed the hosts towards the end of the half and had two chances to reduce the deficit that they could not capitalise on.
In the second half, Espanyol knew how to play with the security of the scoreline and waited for their moment to kill the game. And it arrived in the 76th minute from Uri Pallàs, whose goal was decisive in the last round, made sure of the win with a low cross that was converted by a Betis defender for the third of the evening.
Espanyol’s under-19s put in a fantastic display to book their place in the Copa del Rey Juvenil semi-final, the team’s second appearance in the final four in the last three seasons. Chica’s boys also extend their unbeaten run to 23 games, putting in a performance worthy of the white-and-blue shirt.