Rodrygo scored in the second half and celebrated by honoring the late Pelé as Real Madrid edged fourth-division club Cacereno 1-0 to advance to the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey on Tuesday.
The Brazil forward broke the deadlock in the 69th minute, dribbling past two defenders inside the area before sending a curling right-footed shot into the top corner, then celebrated by imitating Pelé’s traditional punch in the air.
Pelé died at age 82 on Thursday and was buried in Brazil on Tuesday.
Madrid was making its Copa debut in the round of 32 because it was among the four teams in the Spanish Super Cup, along with Barcelona, Real Betis and Valencia.
Rodrygo was among the few regular starters used by coach Carlo Ancelotti, who rested players such as Karim Benzema, Vinícius Júnior and Luka Modric.
Eden Hazard started but was substituted just before Rodrygo opened the scoring.
Cacereño had upset top-flight club Girona in the previous round.
OTHER RESULTS
Two first-division clubs were eliminated by second-division opponents. Rayo Vallecano lost 2-0 at Sporting Gijón, which scored both goals with Uros Milovanovic in the second half. Getafe lost 3-2 at Levante, which got the winner with Wesley in the first minute of stoppage time.
Elche, last-place in the Spanish league, was upset by third-division club Ceuta 1-0, with the hosts scoring the winning goal with Rodri in the 44th. Elche, the only team yet to win in the league after 15 rounds, played a man down from the 61st because of a red card to forward Ezequiel Ponce.
Cristiano Ronaldo described himself as a “unique player” and insisted his career was not over as he received a thunderous welcome at his new club in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
“It’s not the end of my career to come to Saudi Arabia. This is why I change and, to be honest, I’m really not worried about what people say,” Ronaldo said.
The Portuguese superstar, 37, said he had done all he could in Europe and was hungry for a new challenge as he was greeted by fireworks and deafening roars at Al Nassr’s Mrsool Park stadium.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, with five Champions League titles to his name, signed for an estimated 200 million euros to June 2025 not long after his acrimonious split with Manchester United.
“In Europe my work is done... I had many offers in Europe, many in Brazil, Australia, the US, even in Portugal,” he added. “Many clubs tried to sign me but I gave my word to this club.”
The packed, 25,000-capacity stadium erupted when Ronaldo, dressed in Al Nassr’s yellow and blue kit, walked on the pitch, saluting the crowd as fireworks and floodlights flashed around him.
Excitement is at fever-pitch over the arrival of Ronaldo, the highest-profile player to come to Saudi Arabia, the Gulf or any country in the Asian confederation.
His girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, wearing the traditional black abaya or all-covering robe worn by most Saudi women, followed at a distance along with Ronaldo’s children.
Fans queued down the street to buy Ronaldo’s Al Nassr shirt with his trademark number seven, and Al Nassr’s Instagram page gained millions of new followers after his signing was made public.
“The only team that beat the World Champions was Saudi Arabia. Remember that. The league is very competitive. I am ready to play. I will play tomorrow if the coach lets me,” Ronaldo said at the unveiling.
“I’m a unique player. It’s good to come here, I broke all the records there (in Europe) and I want to break a few records here,” Ronaldo said earlier.
“I’m coming here to win, to play, to enjoy, to be part of the success of the country and culture of the country,” he added.
COMMents
In the only matchup between first-division clubs, Espanyol needed extra time to defeat Celta Vigo 3-1 after a 1-1 draw in regulation. Sergi Darder and Nico Melamed scored for the hosts in extra time.
Villarreal routed Cartagena 5-1 with all goals coming in the second half after the hosts took a lead into halftime, while Valencia defeated La Nucía 3-0 with goals by Justin Kluivert, Ilaix Moriba and Hugo Duro.
On Wednesday, Barcelona takes on third-division team Intercity, while Atlético Madrid faces second-division club Oviedo.
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