Athletic Bilbao secured victory over Barcelona, advancing to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey
In the Copa del Rey quarter-final clash at their home ground, San Mamés, Athletic Bilbao hosted Barcelona on January 24.
The hosts made a remarkable start, taking the lead as early as the 37th second with a goal from Guruzeta. Within a few minutes, the score could have been 2-0, but the Basque striker failed to find the net. In the middle of the first half, Barcelona managed to level the score with a goal from Robert Lewandowski. Six minutes later, on the 26th minute, Lamine Jamal skillfully maneuvered past a defender and, with a splendid strike into the far corner from outside the penalty area, propelled Barça ahead.
Athletic began the second half impressively, and in the 49th minute, Oihan Sancet leveled the match. Despite Bilbao’s superiority on the football field, Barcelona had two incredible opportunities. Lamine Yamal found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper twice but failed to hit the target on both occasions. The regulation time concluded with a 2-2 draw.
In the initial extra time, Barcelona maintained ball possession, while Bilbao defended calmly. It appeared that the first 15 minutes would also conclude in a draw, but that wasn’t the case. In the 106th minute, Athletic intercepted the ball, swiftly transitioned to a counter-attack, and Iñaki Williams scored, putting the Basques ahead.
Barcelona had only 15 minutes to salvage the match, but the Catalans were unable to do so. Inaki’s brother, Nico Williams, sealed the match with a goal in the 121st minute. Athletic emerged victorious, securing a spot in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.
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In the Copa del Rey quarter-final, Athletic Bilbao secured a 4-2 victory against Barcelona in extra time. The goal sequence unfolded as follows: Guruzeta opened the scoring at 1-0, Lewandowski equalized at 1-1 in the 26th minute, Yamal gave Barcelona the lead at 1-2 in the 32nd minute, Sancet leveled the score at 2-2, Iñaki Williams found the net in the 106th minute to put Bilbao in front at 3-2, and Nico Williams sealed the win with a goal in the 121st minute, concluding the match with a final score of 4-2.