Finally the Copa Del Rey springs to life with teams from first division losing more than expected. Real Madrid joined the latest list of casualities with a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Real Union. FC Barcelona struggled to a 1-0 victory against Benidorm; Villareal were thrashed handsomely by Poli Ejido and Sevilla lose to Ponferradina; what more you can ask to make the first leg interesting. Most of these teams have fielded their second string teams; but their second string side would be too powerful for these minows. Just before the start of this season's Copa Del Rey, there were questions about the format. And when you consider an already over crowded football fixture, it was natural to have a cry for abandoning this from the big club fans. But the early results have thrown out that request and brought back the excitement back to the Copa Del Rey. Now Madrid and Sevilla has to win at home to progress; whereas Villareal have to play out of their skin to do the same.
What makes the Copa Del Rey and the FA cup so interesting is the fact that it gives the smaller clubs a equal footing. Especially in the FA cup format gives more chance for smaller clubs against bigger counter-parts. If Copa Del Rey format was similiar to the FA cup format; Madrid, Villareal and Sevilla would have already knocked-out. For the smaller clubs every match is like a title match, they have nothing to lose but a world to win. Every match is their new shot at glory. But what is applaing towards Copa Del Rey is the apparent lack of interest shown by Spanish Federation. How can you otherwise explain the fact that one of Poli Ejido's biggest victories went unwatched by the majority of soccer fans. The TV coverage for Copa Del Rey is appaling; it is more surprising when taken into consideration the fact that Spanish minnows always have performed better than their English counterparts.