January 25, (THEWILL) – Athletic Bilbao staged a dramatic extra-time comeback to defeat Barcelona 4-2 and advance to the Copa del Rey semi-finals on Wednesday night. Ghana forward Inaki Williams made a remarkable return from the Africa Cup of Nations to score the decisive goal for his side at a raucous San Mames Stadium.
Despite a lightning-fast opening goal from Gorka Guruzeta after just 36 seconds, Barcelona went ahead in the first half through Robert Lewandowski and talented teenager Lamine Yamal. However, Oihan Sancet brought Athletic level soon after the break to force an additional 30 minutes.
It would be the Williams brothers who emerged as Athletic’s heroes in extra time. Inaki, having only arrived back in Spain earlier that day from representing Ghana, tapped home after 112 minutes to put the hosts 3-2 up. Then his sibling Nico added gloss to the scoreline late on with a composed finish.
The result piles more pressure on under-fire Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez. With his team struggling in La Liga and having lost to rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final recently, Xavi has admitted Barca desperately needs silverware this term. After winning this competition a record 31 times, their quest for number 32 is now over.
Former Barca manager Ernesto Valverde was the man to mastermind his old side’s downfall. In a contest full of twists and turns, he will be delighted to reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals at the Catalans’ expense.
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.
