CARLES PUYOL and Eric Abidal scored rare goals to rally Barcelona over defending champion Real Madrid 2-1 Wednesday night in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal.

    Cristiano Ronaldo put Madrid ahead in the 11th minute on a counterattack with his 27th goal of the season, but Puyol tied it with a header off a corner kick in the 49th, his first goal since Oct. 16, 2010.

    Abidal gave Barcelona control of the home-and-home, total-goals series in the 77th when he chested down Lionel Messi’s scooped pass inside the penalty area and flicked a left-footed shot under goalkeeper Iker Casillas. It was just his second goal for Barcelona, his first since Jan. 5, 2011.

    The second leg is Jan. 25 at Barcelona.

    In another quarterfinal, Fernando Llorente and Iker Muniain headed in goals to give Athletic Bilbao a 2-0 victory over Mallorca. (SD-Agencies)