Athletic Bilbao have scraped past third division outfit Alcoyano into the last 16 of the Copa del Rey following Thursday evening's 1-0 win at San Mames, which gave the hosts a 2-1 win on aggregate.
It took a while for the game to kick into gear, with a succession of fouls and tackles breaking up play in the early stages.
Borja Viguera had the first concrete chance on goal when his header flew just wide of the visitors' goal in the 13th minute, while moments later, Ibai Gomez blasted a shot over the bar.
The hosts were dominant against their lesser-heralded opponents, and succeeded in breaking the deadlock just seven minutes before the break through Viguera, who latched on to Markel Susaeta's through-ball before slotting home.
After the restart, the game proved to be a scrappy affair as Alcoyano shut up shop at the back, although Guillermo came close with a header just after the hour.
Mikel San Jose was next when he nodded wide in the 73rd minute, while Aymeric Laporte dashed his free kick wide moments later.
Although Athletic Bilbao were unable to notch up further strikes against their opponents, they were never in danger of conceding, the visitors failing to muster a single effort on goal all game.
Giuseppe Labellarte
