Advantage Sevilla

MADRID — French striker Kevin Gameiro scored twice after missing a first-half penalty to help Sevilla beat Celta Vigo 4-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal Thursday. Gameiro had his penalty saved by Celta goalkeeper Ruben Blanco in the 28th minute, but made amends with goals from counterattacks in the 59th and 62nd minutes. Fellow Frenchman Adil Rami had put Sevilla on the board with a header just before halftime, and Danish midfielder Michael Krohn-Dehli rounded off the scoring in the 87th. The second leg is next week in Vigo. Defending champion Barcelona routed Valencia 7-0 in the first leg of the other semifinal Wednesday. “I’m very satisfied because I think we played a very complete match in many aspects. We made things difficult for Celta,” Sevilla coach Unai Emery said. “But we have to remain cautious. We can’t forget that Celta already defeated Barcelona 4-1 in its stadium (this season).” It was the first of three games between Sevilla and Celta in a week. The teams will also meet in a Spanish league game Sunday in Vigo. Seeking its first Copa del Rey title, Celta made it to the semifinals by upsetting Atletico Madrid in the quarters. The last time it reached the final was in 2001, when it lost to Real Zaragoza after eliminating Barcelona in the semis. Sevilla, which last won the competition in 2010, is the only team to have won all of its seven Copa del Rey matches this season. It has outscored opponents 20-0 during the streak. Teixeira in record move to China Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder Alex Teixeira has agreed to join Chinese side Jiangsu Suning for a fee of 50 million euros ($56 million), the Ukrainian club said in a statement Friday. “Shakhtar Donetsk and Jiangsu Suning FC have agreed on all the necessary formalities for the transfer of Alex Teixeira to the Chinese club. The transfer fee for the Brazilian is 50 million euros,” Shakhtar said on its website. The 26-year-old Teixeira joined Shakhtar in December 2009 and has scored 89 goals in 223 appearances for the club. “It happened so fast that I still need time to fully comprehend it all. My agent called when I was at the airport on my way to a club training camp,” Teixeira said from Spain, where he was bidding farewell to his former Shakhtar teammates. “Despite the situation unfolding with such speed, it was not an easy decision to make and I needed to respond quickly,” added Teixeira, who has yet to represent his country at senior level. “People knew I wanted to stay in Europe and move to the Premier League. Unfortunately, all the offers from English clubs were quite vague, so now I am moving to China and hopes of playing for Brazil have moved a bit further away.” The fee outstrips the 42 million euros paid by a Chinese Super League rival Guangzhou Evergrande to secure Colombian striker Jackson Martinez from Atletico Madrid in a bumper deal confirmed Wednesday. — Agencies