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SAN SABESTIAN: Real Sociedad will face Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey final after a 1-0 win over Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday sealed a 2-0 aggregate semi-final victory.
Captain Mikel Oyarzabal settled a tight contest at the Reale Arena with a spot kick in the 87th minute after referee Cesar Soto Grado reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta was penalised for pulling Yangel Herrera’s shirt at a corner and Oyarzabal fired his effort to the keeper’s left as he dived the other way.“Very proud of what the boys have done, over the past two months, it’s pretty amazing,” said Sociedad coach Pellegrino Matarazzo.
“Our first match was on the fourth of January... and we just reached the cup final. The football we’re playing is effective and we want to continue... we’re in the final and we want to win it.”
La Real controlled possession for much of the match but struggled to turn their dominance into clear chances, managing four shots on target.
Athletic, without injured winger Nico Williams, rarely threatened the home side until they tried to make a desperate run late in the second half as they exited the competition.
“It was a hard-fought game, a Basque derby,” said Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde. “We had a clear chance at the end, we could have got back into the game but it wasn’t to be.”
The final will be played at Seville’s La Cartuja stadium on April 18, when La Real and Atletico meet in the Spanish Cup showpiece for the second time.
The Basque side won their previous final showdown on penalties in 1987 after a 2-2 draw following extra time. They lifted the trophy again in 2020. Atletico won the last of their 10 titles in 2013.
Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2026
