Costa Adeje Reaches Copa Quarterfinals Amid Coach Exit

Costa Adeje Tenerife Egatesa ended one of their most difficult weeks on a high note. Their coach, Eder Maestre, had unexpectedly left due to disagreements with the club's board, despite the team being in fifth place in Liga F. The team, led by interim coach Adrián Albéniz, put a strong end to these troubled times. They qualified for the Copa de la Reina quarterfinals by beating Sevilla CF 2-1 away from home. This was a team they had already defeated 4-0 earlier in the league, and this time they had to fight back from being 1-0 down.

The last-16 match didn't start well for Costa Adeje. The home team, Sevilla, took the lead in the 9th minute. Inma Gabarro scored for Sevilla. She got to the byline and, with the Tenerife defense showing some passivity, fired a powerful shot past Nay Cáceres to make it 1-0 at the Jesús Navas stadium. But the Tenerife players weren't fazed. They stuck to their game plan, and just three minutes later, in the 12th minute, Amani equalized. She picked up a loose ball in the box after a corner kick from the right by Natalia Ramos.

The first half was evenly matched at first, but Costa Adeje gradually started to take control. Aleksandra had a long-range shot in the 25th minute, but it went over the bar. The away team started to dictate the pace, creating a few chances from set pieces. However, as the half wore on, the game's intensity dropped. Just before halftime, Adrián Albéniz's side picked up the pace again, creating more frequent and dangerous attacks on the goal defended by former Costa Adeje player, Cheza.

With the score at 1-1 at halftime, Costa Adeje couldn't have asked for a better start to the second half. Just two minutes in, Cinta Rodríguez sent in a dangerous cross from the right. It didn't directly reach Gramaglia, but the Argentine forward's presence was enough to cause confusion between the home goalkeeper and her defender, and the ball ended up in the net. Tenerife now led 2-1. A few minutes later, Paulina Gramaglia had a chance to seal the win when she went one-on-one with the keeper after a good pass from Ouzraoui. However, Cheza saved the forward's shot.

Substitutions were made to bring fresh energy to both teams. Castelló and Iratxe came on for Costa Adeje. Iratxe even scored with her first touch, but the referee ruled it out for offside. Sevilla, needing a goal, pushed hard. This is when Nay Cáceres stepped up. The Venezuelan goalkeeper made two crucial saves after the 80th minute: first from a long-range shot, and then by deflecting her defender's misclearance for a corner.

After those tense moments, and nearly five minutes of added time – during which Gramaglia appealed for a possible penalty after being stepped on – the referee blew the final whistle. This confirmed Costa Adeje Tenerife Egatesa's place in the Copa de la Reina quarterfinals. Athletic Club, Real Madrid, and Badalona have also reached this stage. Costa Adeje will now not play again until January 11th. They will visit Deportivo Abanca at 11:00 AM in their final Liga F match of the first half of the season.