Atlètic Terrassa started their Copa del Rey title retention bid with an emotional 2-1 win over Real Club de Polo in one of the star fixtures of the opening day in Madrid.
They started brilliantly in the first quarter, going 2-0 up thanks to goals from Xavi Castelló (6′) and a goal from Pepe Cunill from a corner.
Marc Reyné closed the gap in the 31st minute, taking advantage of a brilliant individual play by Guillermo Fortuño along the baseline to the left of goalkeeper Marc Calzada.
In the second half, Polo insistently sought an equaliser. They enjoyed numerous penalty corners but they were not converted and, despite the pressure on Calzada’s goal, the victory and the pass to the semi-finals went to Xavi Gasol’s team.
Club Egara edged out Junior FC 5-4 and so will play Atlètic next. On the other side of the draw, Club de Campo picked up a 3-0 win over CD Terrassa while FC Barcelona defeated Sanse Complutense in a shoot-out.
In the women’s Copa de la Reina, Campo won a heart-stopping match against Junior FC 2-1 with the winner coming five seconds from the end.
Locked at 1-1, a run by Blanca Pérez ended up on the stick of Begoña García who, for the second time, beat Jana Martínez and gave Eduardo Aguilar’s team the semi-final ticket.
Junior had the better of the first half but they fell behind in Q3 when an assist from Alejandra López Quevedo was taken advantage of by García, connecting with a strong shot on the reverse.
The Sant Cugat side levelled in the final quarter when Gigi Oliva scored from a corner with four minutes to go but Campo struck once more to reach the final four.
There, they will meet Real Sociedad who were 2-0 winners over Sansee Complutense. Atlètic Terrassa defeated Egara in a shoot-out while Real Club de Polo won 4-1 against UD Taburiente.