Football

Rodrygo pays tribute to Pele as Real Madrid progress to 16th Spanish Cup

Rodrygo scored just one goal and celebrated by honouring Pele as Real Madrid qualified for the last 16 of the Spanish Cup on Tuesday with an emphatic 1-0 win over Cacereno's fourth-place team.

Rodrygo scored just one goal and celebrated by honoring Pele as Real Madrid qualified for the last 16 of the Spanish Cup on Tuesday with an emphatic 1-0 win over Cacereno's fourth-place team. The Brazilian broke the deadlock after 69 minutes by beating two defenders and celebrated by jumping up and down, as the great footballer and his teammate Pelé scored his goal. Pele's funeral was held in Brazil on Tuesday after he died last week at the age of 82.

Madrid made their first trophy in the round of 16 and manager Carlo Ancelotti rested star players including Karim Benzema for the trip to western Extremadura who knocked Girona out of the top flight in the previous round. On Tuesday, Valencia, Villarreal and Espanyol qualified for the round of 16.

Espanyol edged out Celta Vigo 3-1 after extra time in the top flight only, as the match ended 1-1 after half-time. Sergi Darder scored Espanyol's second goal, while Nico Melamed scored two minutes later after Celta lost Argentina goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin to a second yellow card.

First division teams Rayo Vallecano and Getafe were knocked out by Sporting Gijon (2-0) and Levante (3-2) respectively. Valencia beat La Nucia 3-0 in the regional derby with Justin Kluivert opening the scoring after three minutes.

Villarreal played FC Cartagena, who took a surprising lead, as the Premier League side finished with all their goals in the second half. On Wednesday, Barcelona plays Intercity, the third round from Alicante, while Atletico Madrid will face Real Oviedo in the second round.