La Liga sides Espanyol and Alaves failed to deliver on Sunday, playing to a 0-0 draw.
The draw ended Alaves' losing streak at three matches, while hosts Espanyol rebounded after their 0-3 defeat to Real Betis in the previous round, reports Efe.
Espanyol sits in 14th place in the La Liga table, only eight points behind seventh-placed Girona, but more than a draw was needed for the Catalan club to make a significant leap in the rankings.
Espanyol had a chance for a goal on a corner in the 11th minute, which did pose some real danger, while Alaves could only manage a harmless free kick by John Guidetti that was blocked by Espanyol keeper Pau Lopez.
Alaves menaced Lopez again with a pair of long-range shots by Tomas Pina Isla and Daniel Alejandro Torres, while Espanyol's Aaron Caricol had the most promising opportunity, firing a shot that goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco Flores touched into the crossbar.
The second half followed a similar scenario, with each side launching unpromising attacks, none of which managed to break the scoreless deadlock.
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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