Levante advances to Spanish Cup round of 16 with 2-0 win of Lugo

Spanish football club Levante on Thursday earned a hard-fought 2-0 win over second-tier Lugo in the second leg of the Spanish Cup round of 32 to advance to the next round with a 3-1 victory on the aggregate.

Despite Levante's apparent dominance, Lugo nearly got the lead just two minutes into the first half, but Lugo's left winger Juan Muñiz's shot was blocked by the Frogs' goalkeeper Aitor Fernandez, reports Efe news.

Levante reacted immediately and could have taken the lead shortly after, had it not been for Lugo's attacking midfielder Antonio Campillo, who cleared an effort by Levante right-back Jorge Andújar Moreno, best known as Coke, off the goal line.

Next, the Frogs' Montenegrin midfielder Nikola Vukcevic had the opportunity to give his team the lead on a long-range shot, but he overhit the ball.

Both teams continued to create and squander scoring chances until the referee's half-time whistle.

After the intermission, Levante had a triple scoring chance, but neither Ghanaian forward Emmanuel Boateng, Vukcevic nor Bosnian midfielder Sanjin Prcic was able to deliver for the Frogs.

Lugo's defender Eduard Campabadal had a golden scoring opportunity in the 70th minute, when he was set up for a one-on-one situation against Levante's net minder Fernandez, but Campabadal's shot hit the keeper's body.

With 10 minutes to go before the second-half stoppage time, Coke then broke open the scoreless deadlock off a corner that he drilled to the net.

Levante could have increased its tally if not for the woodwork that foiled the Frogs' forwards Borja Mayoral and Raphael Dwamena, both of whom squandered chances at goals.

Dwamena, however, redeemed himself three minutes into the stoppage time, when the Ghanaian put the ball in the wide open goal off a corner.

--IANS

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