Athletic Bilbao to face Espanyol, Villareal to take on Barcelona in Copa del Rey semi-finals

Athletic Bilbao players celebrate after their win over Malaga in the Copa del Rey

Madrid, Jan 30 (IANS) Villarreal will face FC Barcelona in the semi-final of the King's Cup knockout competition after beating Getafe 2-0 on aggregate in the quarterfinals while Athletic Club Bilbao and Espanyol will square off in the other tie.

A goal from Gerard Moreno 11 minutes from time gave Villarreal a 1-0 win on Thursday night on the back of their 1-0 win in the first leg, reports Xinhua.

It left Getafe needing to score three goals in just over 10 minutes and provoked an exodus of the home fans from the stands while giving Villarreal their first ever appearance in a King's Cup semis. Villarreal will face FC Barcelona who Wednesday night defeated Atletico Madrid 3-2 and 4-2 in aggregate to book their place in the semis.

The other semifinal will be between Athletic Club Bilbao and Espanyol although both sides enjoyed different fortunes on the night. Athletic beat Malaga 1-0 thanks to a goal from Aritz Aduriz in the second half at the San Mames Stadium Thursday.

Meanwhile, Espanyol qualified despite a 0-1 defeat away to Sevilla by virtue of their 3-1 home win last week.