Atletico Madrid edge Sant Andreu 1-0 in Copa del Rey

Barcelona, Oct 31: Atletico Madrid eked out a 1-0 win against fourth-division club Sant Andreu in the first leg of a Copa del Rey round of 32 contest.

The plucky hosts came close to equalizing in the final minutes of the match in front of 6,400 spectators at the Narcis Sala in Barcelona on Tuesday night.

Gelson Martins tested Sant Andreu goalkeeper Jose Segovia in the 7th minute and that was just a taste of the pressure Atleti would bring to bear, reports Efe news.

The relentless attacks bore fruit in the 33rd minute, as Vitolo threaded the ball to Martins and the Portuguese international converted to make it 1-0 for the visitors.

An attempt by Martins to increase the advantage early in the second half ended up in the side of the net.

The Colchoneros lost pace as the minutes passed and Sant Andreu coach Mikel Azparren made a key substitution in the 66th minute, deploying forward Elhadji Baldeh, who put his 1.94m (6ft 3in) frame to good use in front of the opponents' goal.

With eight minutes left in regulation, Elhadji forced a save from Atleti keeper Antonio Adan and the ensuing corner resulted in a shot that hit the cross-bar.