April 07, (THEWILL) – In a thrilling encounter at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in Seville, Athletic Club emerged victorious in a penalty shootout to claim their 24th Copa del Rey title, defeating Mallorca after a hard-fought 1-1 draw.
With the famous Gabarra, Athletic’s traditional boat parade, ready to set sail for the first time in 40 years, the Basque club’s fans were brimming with anticipation as their team looked to add another chapter to their illustrious Copa del Rey history, which dates back to the turn of the 19th century. However, Javier Aguirre’s Mallorca side were determined to spoil the party, having lost their last six consecutive Copa del Rey finals against Athletic.
The high stakes of instant qualification for Europe added to the tension, and the opening exchanges were cagey. It was not until the 16th minute that the game saw its first shot on target, a speculative effort from Athletic’s Iñigo Ruiz. That seemed to spark Mallorca into life, with Vedat Muriqi going close before club legend Dani Rodríguez gave the Pirates the lead with a well-taken finish.
Athletic were quick to respond, and Nico Williams thought he had levelled the scores before the half-time whistle, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside. The second half began just as dramatically, with Cyle Larin forcing a smart save from Julen Agirrezabala, but Athletic were soon on level terms through Oihan Sancet’s composed finish.
The game’s tempo increased, and Athletic had several opportunities to take the lead, but Gorka Guruzeta’s miss proved costly as the match went to extra time. The additional 30 minutes saw both sides demonstrate their defensive resilience, and the dreaded penalty shootout ensued. Athletic keeper, Agirrezabala, proved to be the hero, saving two penalties before Álex Berenguer’s cool spot-kick sealed the victory for the Basque giants.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
