Euskaraz irakurri: Athletic, Kopako txapeldun!

He Athletic ha cattle the Copa del Rey it’s from the season 2023-24this Saturday, at the stadium The Charterhousein Sevilleby surpassing the final to the Majorca. The Bilbao team has thus obtained its twenty-fifth title in the Cup championship, 40 years after the previous one, which it achieved in 1984. Around 70,000 Athletic fans They have been in the Andalusian capital for the Cup final, and, of them, about 40,000 people They witnessed the victory of the Biscayan team in La Cartuja.

The final was decided in a penalty shootout. The match has ended with tie to onewith the goals from Dani Rodríguez, in the 21st minute, for Mallorca, and from Oihan Sancet, at 50, for the red and whites, and in extra time the score did not move, which has led to the title being played on penalties to which we refer. In the batch, Julen Agirrezabala has saved one of the shots, Mallorca has thrown another away, and Athletic has not failed any; the goals of Raúl García, Iker Muniain, Mikel Vesga and Álex Berenguerin the last shot, they have taken the Cup to Bilbao.

It is a victory of enormous value for Athletic, a historic title. After four decades without being able to achieve it, the red and white club has won the Cup, a competition that it has sought with enormous insistence in recent years. It is a night that remains forever in the memory of all the fans of the Bilbao team.

Both Ernesto Valverde and Javier Aguirre have opted for what was expected, in the starting elevens of the final. In the case of Athletic, Oihan Sancet has started as a starter, behind Gorka Guruzeta and accompanying Iñaki and Nico Williams, with Beñat Prados and Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta in the midfield; On the part of Mallorca, Muriqi, together with Larin, has formed the attack.

Nico Williams made the first shot of the match, deflected, in a quick counterattack, without the first minute of play having yet elapsed. The first stages of the match have shown two very concentrated teams, strong in pressure, seeking to show the rival that they wanted the Cup.

After fifteen minutes, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, with his left foot, took a good shot from outside the area, which Greif sent for a corner. In the 19th minute, in a lost ball by Athletic, Muriqi also shot from distance, and Agirrezabala responded well. However, this move has been important, because it has caused, to a certain extent, the 0-1; on a second corner kick, after several rejections, Dani Rodríguez caught the ball inside the area and put it out of reach of the Athletic goalkeeper. It was him minute 21.

The goal has established Mallorca, who was right in the disputes. Athletic was uncomfortable. Sancet tried it from outside the area, without precision, and Guruzeta did it with more danger immediately afterwards, with a good shot. Athletic has regained control of the midfield, and has begun to reach the rival area more frequently and with ease. In the 40th minute, Nico Williams beat Greif, after a good play by Athletic, but the red and white striker was offside, and the goal did not go up on the scoreboard. Nico himself, already in the extension time of the first half, received from deep on the left and shot very close to the post, just as Guruzeta did, from a distance, in the last play of the first half.

Mikel Vesga replaced Beñat Prados at half-time, for a second half that began with a great save by Julen Agirrezabala against Larin. Athletic has sought to intensify the pace of the match as much as possible. In that context, In the 50th minute, Nico Williams threw a deep shot to Oihan Sancet, from the left, and the Navarrese, with skill, tied it at one.

A cross from Muriqi grazed the post, but the goal boosted Athletic, who were playing with more speed and precision than until then. At the hour mark, Nico made an excellent play on his side, but he did not find a finisher; The entry of Vesga in the center of the field gave a lot to the Basque team, which dominated the match, although Mallorca also stretched dangerously on some occasions.

Yuri Berchiche tried it in the 78th minute, at the conclusion of a long attacking play by Athletic, who moved the ball looking for space when the game was about to enter its final stretch. Ernesto Valverde has put Unai Gómez into play, at that point, instead of Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta. Tiredness and the fear of making a mistake with almost no possible fix has conditioned those last minutes. Dani Vivian, with a strong shot from outside the area, was the closest to the goal before the extension.

Iker Muniain, Alex Berenguer and Raúl García left for Sancet, Guruzeta and Iñaki Williams, before extra time began. The Athletic captain had the first chance of that extra time, after a good play by Unai Gómez, but his left-footed shot did not find Greif’s goal. Muniain himself, in a dangerous foul, shot just wide. Iñigo Lekue, Ernesto Valverde’s last replacement, replaced Yuri Berchiche, who left the field with cramps.

In the 111th minute, Óscar de Marcos reached the baseline, and his cross into the small area was finished off by Nico Williams, but his shot was deflected by a Mallorca defender, in a very clear goal-scoring play. Almost immediately afterwards, Julen Agirrezabala made a great save, after a very dangerous header from Muriqi.

So things are, The final was decided in a penalty shootout.. In it, Athletic has been able to carry out an impeccable job; He has not missed any of the four shots he has attempted, and, in addition, Agirrezabala has stopped Morlanes’s one, Mallorca’s second. Radonjic, in the next turn, shot wide, and Berenguer converted the historic penalty that gave Athletic the Cup. Bilbao is now preparing the party it has been waiting for for 40 years!

Data sheet

1 – Athletic: Agirrezabala; De Marcos, Vivian, Paredes, Yuri (Lekue, m. 106+); Prados (Vesga, m. 46), Galarreta (Unai Gómez, m. 79); Iñaki Williams (Berenguer, d. 91), Sancet (Muniain, d. 91), Nico Williams; and Guruzeta (Raúl García, d. 91).

1 – Mallorca: Greif; Gío González, Valjent (Maffeo, d. 91), Raillo, Copete (Nastasic, d. 107+), Lato (Van der Heyden, d. 109); Samu Costa, Sergi Darder (Antonio Sánchez, m. 62), Dani Rodríguez (Radonjic, m. 73); Larin (Morlanes, d. 62) and Muriqi.

Goals: 0-1, m. 21: Dani Rodríguez. 1-1, m. 50: Sancet.

Penalties: Muriqi, goal: 1-0. Raúl García, goal: 1-1. Morlanes, for Agirrezabala. Muniain, goal; 1-2. Radonjic, out. Vesga, goal: 1-3. Antonio Sánchez, goal: 2-3. Berenguer, goal: 2-4.

Referee: José Luis Munuera Montero (Andalusian Committee). He showed a card to Paredes (m. 27), from Athletic; and Muriqi (d. 91) and Radnjic (d. 118), from Mallorca.

VAR referee: Eduardo Prieto Iglesias (Navarro Committee).

Incidents: Final of the Copa de Rey played in the La Cartuja Stadium filled with about 60,000 spectators. Of the total capacity, two thirds were Athletic fans and a third were Mallorca fans.

Source: Eitb

Kingston

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