Atletico Madrid stormed into the Copa del Rey semi-finals on Thursday night with a commanding 5-0 demolition of Real Betis in Seville, as new signing Ademola Lookman marked his debut with a goal.
Diego Simeone’s side join holders Barcelona, 2024 winners Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad in the last four of the competition.
The tie was effectively settled by a blistering first-half display from Atletico, who raced into a 3-0 lead through goals from David Hancko, Giuliano Simeone and Lookman.
Signed from Atalanta on deadline day for a reported €40 million (£47m), the 28-year-old Nigerian wasted little time making his mark in red and white. The reigning African Footballer of the Year opened his Atletico account in the 37th minute, rounding two defenders on the counter before squeezing his finish past goalkeeper Adrián.
Lookman’s pace again proved decisive shortly after the hour, as he led another break and teed up Antoine Griezmann, who slotted home left-footed to make it four. Thiago Almada added a late fifth to cap an emphatic performance from the third-placed side in La Liga at La Cartuja.
Elsewhere in the quarter-finals, Athletic Bilbao edged past struggling Valencia 2-1 on Wednesday thanks to a dramatic 96th-minute winner from Iñaki Williams. Sadiq Umar had scored at both ends in the first half before Williams’ late intervention settled the contest.
Basque rivals Real Sociedad also progressed after a thrilling 3-2 victory at neighbours Alavés. Trailing 2-1 with 15 minutes remaining, the visitors turned the tie around through late strikes from Gonçalo Guedes and Orri Óskarsson.
Barcelona booked their place in the semi-finals on Tuesday with a nervy 2-1 win away to second-tier Albacete, with goals from Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araújo proving decisive.
