Mallorca and Real Sociedad draw 0-0 in first leg of Copa del Rey semifinals

Real Sociedad's Nigerian forward Umar Sadiq (R) vies with Real Mallorca Spanish defender Jose Manuel Copete during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semifinal first leg between Mallorca and Real Sociedad at the Mallorca Son Moix stadium in Palma de Mallorca on Febr. 6, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 07 February 2024
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Mallorca and Real Sociedad draw 0-0 in first leg of Copa del Rey semifinals

  • The second leg will be on Feb. 18 in Basque Country
  • The first leg of the other semifinal will be played on Wednesday with Atletico Madrid hosting Athletic

MADRID: Mallorca and Real Sociedad drew 0-0 in a lackluster first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on Tuesday.

Neither team had many significant scoring chances at Son Moix Stadium in the Balearic Islands. Sociedad was slightly closer to breaking the deadlock in a match in which the hosts ended with no attempts on target.

“They have a quality team, that is playing in the Champions League, so I’m satisfied with the result,” Mallorca coach Javier Aguirre said. “Of course we would have liked to win, but it wasn’t easy. The series remains open.”

Mallorca’s best chance was a shot by Abdon Prats that missed just wide in the 51st minute. Sociedad came close with Umar Sadiq’s close-range attempt that went over the crossbar in the 71st after a cross by Japan international Takefusa Kubo.

“If you look at the second half, we deserved a better result,” Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil said. “We did more to deserve the win but in the end we couldn’t get the ball to go in.”

The second leg will be on Feb. 18 in Basque Country.

Sociedad are trying to return to the Copa final for the first time since it beat rival Athletic Bilbao to lift the trophy in 2019-20.

Mallorca, partly owned by Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and former NBA great Steve Nash, won the Copa in 2003 but hadn’t made it to the semifinals since 2009. Its last appearance in the final was 2003 when it beat Recreativo Huelva.

Mallorca, who had eliminated Girona in the Copa quarterfinals, sit just outside the relegation zone in the Spanish league.

Sociedad has drawn its last three matches 0-0. They are sixth in the Spanish league and will play Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 of the Champions League.

The first leg of the other semifinal will be played on Wednesday with Atletico Madrid hosting Athletic.

Atletico are playing in the last four of the Copa for the first time in seven seasons and is seeking its first title since 2013. Athletic eliminated Barcelona to reach the semifinals for the fifth straight season. The Basque Country club last won the competition in 1984.


Trezeguet brace gives Ahly CAF Champions League victory

Updated 24 January 2026
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Trezeguet brace gives Ahly CAF Champions League victory

  • Success for the Red Devils in Alexandria opened a three-point lead in Group B for the record 12-time African champions
  • Ahly have seven points and Young Africans four after three rounds

JOHANNESBURG: Former Aston Villa striker Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan scored the goals that gave Al Ahly of Egypt a 2-0 victory over Young Africans of Tanzania on Friday in the CAF Champions League.
Success for the Red Devils in the Mediterranean city Alexandria opened a three-point lead in Group B for the record 12-time African champions.
Ahly have seven points and Young Africans four after three rounds. JS Kabylie of Algeria and FAR Rabat of Morocco, who meet on Saturday, have one point each.
Young Africans created more chances than Ahly in a cagey first half only to fall behind in the third minute of added time.


A perfect cross from Mohamed Hany was nodded by captain Trezeguet into the corner of the net past Mali goalkeeper Djigui Diarra.
Ahly stamped their authority on the match in the second half and deservedly increased their lead on 75 minutes.
Slick, one-touch passing set up Trezeguet, who moved across several defenders inside the area before curling the ball into the far corner of the net.
The goals lifted Trezeguet to five in the Champions League this season, level with Brazilian Tiago Reis from Angolan club Petro Luanda at the top of the charts.
Slovenian substitute Nejc Gradisar squandered a good chance to put Ahly even further ahead when he fired wide with only Diarra to beat.
In Group C, Abdelrazig Omer bagged a brace as Al Hilal of Sudan drew 2-2 with former champions Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in Pretoria in another top-of-the-table clash.
Sundowns, whose lone title came in 2016, and Hilal have five points each, with the South Africans ahead on goal difference.
A victory for either Saint-Eloi Lupopo of the Democratic Republic of Congo or Mouloudia Alger of Algeria in Lubumbashi on Sunday will move the winners within one point of Sundowns and Hilal.
Omer put Hilal ahead on 15 minutes from close range after a run down the wing and pass from Burundian Jean Claude Girumugisha.
Sundowns were level seven minutes later as Brazilian Arthur Sales got behind the Hilal defense and his weak goal attempt trickled into the net.
A thunderbolt from South African international Teboho Mokoena from outside the box on 64 minutes edged Sundowns in front.
But once again a lead lasted only seven minutes. Poor defending by Sundowns enabled Omer to score again and take his goal tally in Africa this season to four.
Hilal substitute Emmanuel Flomo from Liberia was shown a straight red card for striking Khuliso Mudau in the face, leaving the visitors to play with 10 men for the last four minutes of regular time.
A further four matchday three fixtures are scheduled for Saturday, including defending champions Pyramids of Egypt away to Renaissance Berkane of Morocco.