Atletico Madrid thrashes Betis to reach Copa del Rey semifinal

MADRID, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Atletico Madrid delivered a convincing performance to claim the semifinal spot in Spain's Copa del Rey with a 5-0 rout of Real Betis on Thursday.

Betis threatened early through Ez Abde, but Atletico quickly seized control and dominated the first half. David Hancko opened the scoring with a near-post header from a Koke corner, and the visitors never looked back.

New signing Ademola Lookman was heavily involved from the outset, missing one chance when sent through on goal and firing over after Hancko's knockdown, as Atletico denied Betis possession and territory.

Giuliano Simeone doubled the lead in the 30th minute after being set up by Matteo Ruggeri, and Lookman made it 3-0 before halftime, cutting inside two defenders from the left and beating goalkeeper Adrian with a composed finish.

Atletico suffered an early setback after the break when Pablo Barrios was forced off with a hamstring injury and replaced by Jose Gimenez, a concern ahead of the club's Champions League playoff against Club Brugge later this month.

The injury did little to halt Atletico's momentum. Antoine Griezmann made it 4-0 in the 62nd minute, finishing a counterattack started by Lookman, before Thiago Almada completed the scoring late on by converting a rebound after Adrian had saved Griezmann's initial effort.

The teams meet again on Sunday at Atletico's Metropolitano Stadium in La Liga.

Previously, Barcelona reached the semifinals on Tuesday with a 2-1 win at Albacete, while Athletic Club beat Valencia 2-1 and Real Sociedad won 3-2 at Alaves on Wednesday.

The draw for the two-legged semifinals will be held Friday, with the first legs next week and the return matches in the first week of March. The final is scheduled for April 18. ■