Atletico Madrid secured their spot in the Copa del Rey semifinals alongside Real Sociedad, Mallorca, and Athletic Bilbao after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Sevilla at home.
The match seemed destined for extra time until the dying minutes when referee Gil Manzano awarded Sevilla a penalty for a challenge on Erik Lamela by Pablo Barrios. However, VAR intervened, determining that Barrios had indeed touched the ball, leading to the annulment of the penalty, as reported by Xinhua.
In the first half, Atletico dominated possession while Sevilla struggled to create opportunities. Despite controlling the game, Atletico had difficulty converting their dominance into goals until the 23rd minute when Nahuel Molina was fouled in the box by Marcao, leading to a penalty. Antoine Griezmann stepped up to take the spot-kick but slipped as he struck the ball, sending it wide.
Undeterred by the missed penalty, Atletico continued to press, with Alvaro Morata and Rodrigo de Paul coming close. Griezmann had a goal disallowed for offside in the 59th minute, and shortly after, Memphis Depay suffered a similar fate.
Sevilla had their chances, with Marcao missing a rare opportunity and Angel Correa seeing a goal ruled out for offside. However, it was Correa who ultimately broke the deadlock, setting up Depay for a simple finish with just over 10 minutes remaining.
The late goal sparked a flurry of action, with Sergio Ramos and Orjan Nyland denying Atletico a second goal, ensuring a tense finish to the match.
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