Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez scored on his return after nearly nine months out through injury to round off a 5-0 thrashing of third-tier Cornella in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday.
With Cristiano Ronaldo resting, James Rodriguez led Madrid's attack in the second-leg match - scoring two goals at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium as the holders eased into the round of 16 with a 9-1 victory on aggregate in the Copa Del Rey Cup.
In first-leg matches, topflight side Celta Vigo lost 2-1 at second-division las Palmas in the Canary Islands, while Athletic Bilbao needed Borja Viguera to score in injury time to salvage a 1-1 draw at third-tier Alcoyano.
Espanyol took control of its tie against Alaves with a 2-0 away win thanks to Christian Stuani's double, while Elche drew 0-0 at Valladolid. Madrid and Cornella played their first leg in October so that Madrid can play at the Club World Cup later this month in Morocco.
Cornella's Xavi Boniquet missed a penalty in the 15th minute after Alvaro Arbeloa fouled him in the area. James Rodriguez chipped in Madrid's first a minute later. The Colombia forward set up Francisco ‘Isco’ Alarcon in the 32nd before he added a second goal in the 34th. Javier Hernandez added more misery as he made it 4-0 on the hour mark.
Substitute Jese Rodriguez scored in the 78th, 20 minutes after coming on for his first appearance since having two right knee operations following a leg injury on March 18 earlier this year. He replaced Sami Khedira after the Germany midfielder got up gingerly from a collision. “I’m very happy to be back playing," the 21-year-old Rodriguez said before dedicating his goal to Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano, who died in July.
“These have been many months of suffering,” he said. "You forget many little tactical things, but the team has helped me a lot.” Madrid will play either Atletico Madrid or Hospitalet next. las Palmas opened through Hernan Santana in the 24th, and Marcelo Silva scored in the 79th after teammate Juan Culio sent a penalty kick off the crossbar. Santi Mina pulled one back for Celta in the 82nd with a spotkick. Bilbao was fortunate not to have lost its match as well.
Alcoyano striker Francis Ferron opened the scoring in the 32nd and hit the post before Bilbao goalkeeper Iago Herrerin saved Jorge Perano's close effort in the 83rd. Espanyol defender Hector Moreno played his first match since breaking his left shin while playing for Mexico in the World Cup in June.