Eibar narrowly miss out on victory
The Armeros fought back to take the lead after having initially gone behind but Juanfran struck to level matters in the 85th minute
Eibar returned to Ipurua with the tough task of overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit against Atlético Madrid and the hosts tonight proved that they're capable of competing as they came within minutes of claiming victory.
The Armeros headed into the game intent on competing and winning the match, without ruling out the possibility of staging a comeback if things ended up going their way.
Right from the off, José Luis Mendilibar's charges got on the front foot against an Atlético side that focused their efforts on trying to dominate in the middle of the park and catching the hosts out on the counter.
The home side came closest to scoring on 26' with a fine volleyed strike from debutant Josué Dorrio which forced the best out of Miguel Ángel Moya, who prevented the ball from nestling in the top corner as he pushed the effort behind.
Soon after the restart came the goal that well and truly put the tie to bed. On 49', Nico Gaitán's outswinging corner was nodded home by José María Giménez.
The visitors' opener served to take the sting out of the game for a few minutes, as the tempo dropped and it looked very much as if Atleti were heading for a sixth straight win over Eibar in the last three campaigns.
The game could have swung completely in the Colchoneros' favour on 68' when Ángel Correa found himself clean through on Yoel, but the Armeros' custodian pulled off a fine save in the one-on-one to prevent the visitors from doubling their advantage.
A double substitution made by Mendilibar on 72' - which saw Pedro León and Sergi Enrich enter the fray in place of the feeder-team pair Imanol Sarriegi and Josué Dorrio - proved crucial as the hosts went on to turn the game on its head.
Barely a minute had elapsed when the duo were at the centre of a move that saw Eibar draw themselves level. A fine piece of play from Bebé down the left saw the ball slipped to Pedro León, whose effort from the edge of the area cannoned back off the angle between the crossbar and the post, the ball rebounded out to the feet of Sergi Enrich, who unleashed a spectacular volley which flew into the roof of the net - a truly a stunning goal.
The equaliser brought the Armeros to life, as the hosts laid siege to Moya's goal in search of a winner. On 80', a Rubén Peña cross from the left picked out Pedro León, who let fly with a powerful, low right-footed strike which flew narrowly inside the upright to put the hosts 2-1 up.
The Ipurua faithful looked upon this is being a fine result, despite it meaning that their side would bow out of the competition. However, Atlético hit back on 85' when Juanfran capitalised on an error in the Eibar backline to loft the ball into the net from the edge of the box.
This late equaliser represented somewhat of a blow for Eibar, who were minutes away from beating Atlético Madrid for the first time since their promotion to La Liga. Nevertheless, the home support recognised the team's effort by offering the players a fine ovation.
The one downside to emerge from the game was the injury suffered by Fran Rico, who was forced off on 33' with a strain in his adductor which makes him a doubt for Saturday's clash with Deportivo La Coruña at Ipurua.
This result sees Eibar's Copa del Rey campaign come to an end with the team having reached the quarter-finals for the first time in the club's history. The Armeros will now focus their attentions on La Liga as they bid to do enough in the second half of the season to comfortably retain their league status and improve upon their final position in the standings compared to previous campaigns.