MADRID, 21 January 2005 — Real Madrid were dumped out of the King’s Cup by Valladolid on the away goals rule after the second division side claimed a deserved 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Valladolid forward Xavi More grabbed the all-important goal when he cut inside defender Roberto Carlos and fired a low shot into the far corner 12 minutes from time to cancel out a Michael Owen strike and put his side into the quarterfinals.

Athletic Bilbao comfortably avoided a similar upset in their tie against third division Lanzarote when they recovered from a 2-1 defeat in the first leg to claim a crushing 6-0 win over the Canary Islanders at San Mames.

The performance of the night came from Bilbao youngster Fernando Llorente who scored a hat-trick and set up another as his side cruised to their 7-2 aggregate victory.

Earlier, Osasuna survived a stern test from Getafe to book a place in the quarter-finals with a 4-3 aggregate win.

The Navarrans, who won last week’s first leg 2-0, were put under severe pressure throughout the all Primera Liga tie, but a fine double from midfielder Inaki Munoz allowed them to scrape through against the modest Madrid-based side.

Real Betis did the bare minimum to go through, drawing 0-0 with third division Mirandes after a comfortable 3-1 victory in the first leg.

Primera Liga strugglers Numancia also joined them in the next round after substitute Miguel Perez cancelled out a 1-0 first-leg deficit against second division Elche following the break and his side went through on penalties.

Real, who once again adopted the risky strategy of fielding a side of second string players in the Cup, were outplayed by their determined second division opponents in the first half.

Valladolid midfielder David Sousa hit the bar with a dipping free kick in the sixth minute and strikers More and Roberto Losada were a constant menace to the Real Madrid back four.

The home side’s only clear chance of the half came three minutes before the break when Portillo had a long distance effort tipped over the bar by Valladolid keeper Francisco Lledo.

Coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo clearly did not like the look of what he saw in the first half and threw on Ronaldo, Raul and Zinedine Zidane in place of former youth team players Jurado, Javi Garcia and Portillo after the break.

Valladolid were the first to threaten once again and it took a brilliant reaction save from keeper Cesar to stop a rasping shot from More in the 52nd minute.

The in-form Owen looked as though he had secured his side a place in the next round when he raced on to a neat pass from Raul and fired a perfectly-placed angled shot inside the far post 20 minutes into the second half.

Real’s celebrations were cut short, however, when the visitors drew level 12 minutes later thanks to More’s fine individual goal.

Real, who were the losing finalists in last season’s competition, join Barcelona, Valencia and Deportivo Coruna on the list of high-profile victims in this season’s Cup.

Ronaldo and Rooney Sink Brave Exeter in FA Cup

In London, holders Manchester United were given an FA Cup fright before beating minor league Exeter City 2-0 in a nervy third round replay on Wednesday.

Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo scored after nine minutes but the Conference side put United under pressure midway through the second half and had a potential equalizer disallowed before England striker Wayne Rooney killed the tie in the 87th minute.

United, whose second string side were held to a shock 0-0 draw at Old Trafford on January 8, lined up an all-Premier League fourth round tie at home to Middlesbrough.

Two other Premier League clubs made it through their replays against second division opponents, with Fulham beating Watford 2-0 and Blackburn Rovers seeing off Cardiff City 3-2.

Fulham’s reward is a tie at second division Derby County on January 29, while Blackburn host third division Colchester United.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson paid tribute to plucky Exeter after it took two of the best players at Euro 2004 to see off the minor league team.

“It’s just a great reminder of the romance of the FA Cup,” he told Sky Sports News. “When any small club in the country gets drawn against a big team it’s so inspirational for them.

“Obviously, it’s Exeter’s round, they’ve been fantastic... and it’s been great for football.

“I think everyone in the country has focused on Exeter City, and quite rightly, because of their achievements.”

As for the game at St James’s Park, he said: “They kept us hemmed in our own half, with the wind and the crowd behind them, and there was a lot going for them in the second half. They showed fantastic energy to last the distance.

Exeter manager Alex Inglethorpe told the BBC: “I’m very proud of the team. After the early goal, we showed that we could be solid and kept going.”

The comfortable scoreline belied the fact that United had to scrap for their win in the blustery conditions.

Hugely embarrassed by the draw at Old Trafford, Ferguson wheeled out the big guns with Rooney, Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs thrown into the attack from the start, backed by Paul Scholes.

There was an early dividend when Ronaldo was put through by Scholes and his angled shot got beneath Exeter’s teenage keeper Paul Jones.

But the expected avalanche of goals from United never materialized as Exeter matched their millionaire opponents for sheer effort.

They could even have been level in the 61st minute when unmarked striker Sean Devine volleyed their best chance wide from the edge of the six-yard box. Devine did find the United net in the 75th minute but his strike was offside.

Rooney, who had been denied by Jones all night, finally relieved the pressure on the holders when he rounded the keeper and slotted into an empty net.