Leganes hold Sevilla in 1st leg of Copa semis

Underdogs Leganes conceded a goal to Sevilla in the first 20 minutes of the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg but came back to pull level and the sides are even at 1-1 heading into the second leg.

The hosts stuck largely with the line-up that stunned Real Madrid in the quarter-final to lift the modest suburban side into the semis for the first time on Wednesday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Sevilla, who bested Atletico Madrid to reach the final four, likewise made few changes.

The visitors were dominant at the start and came close to scoring in the third minute before some 11,000 fans at Butarque stadium in Leganes.

As the match clock reached 20 minutes, a midfield giveaway by Leganes set up Luis Muriel to make it 1-0 for Sevilla, who had several chances to increase their lead before the break, but couldn't translate them into goals.

Leganes started the second half better, yet the eventual equaliser was as much the result of chance as skill.

Sevilla keeper Sergio Rico went up to clear a corner near the far post only to serve up the ball for Leganes defender Dimitris Siovas, who nudged it into the net to bring the sides level in the 55th minute.

While the visitors pressed hard for the winning goal, Leganes had the better of the play in the final 15 minutes and the contest remains to be settled in the second leg.

--IANS

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