COPA DEL REY SHOWDOWN; Madrid beat Cornella in Barcelona

Varane doubled his tally for the night by beating Cornella goalkeeper Jose Manuel to the ball (Photo: Courtesy)

Raphael Varane headed in two corner kicks to help Real Madrid start its Copa del Rey title defence with a 4-1 win at third-division Cornella on Wednesday. The France centre back opened the scoring in the 10th of the first-leg match before Cornella striker Oscar Munoz levelled to the delight of the home fans in the 20th. But Varane struck again in the 36th before forward Javier Hernandez and Marcelo added goals in the second half. Not too far away, Iago Aspas hit a hat trick as Sevilla won 6-1 at second-division Sabadell to take control of its tie. — AP