Athletic wins the Copa del Rey again 40 years later and is 7 behind Barça

The Athletic goes back to be champion of the Glass of Rey. They have had to expect 40 years and suffer more than the account to raise the title, this time in The Cartuja. In a party that resolved in the batch of penaltis, after some 120 very contested and in which the Mallorca began winning, the bilbaínos went back to 'enjoy' to raise a title that had resisted him of historical form and, if it wants , of unfair form. The ones of Ernesto Valverde go back to roar.

With this trophy, the bilbaínos add 24 titles in the Glass of Rey and reduce, to seven, the distance with the winning maximum that it is the FC Barcelona. They had won it in 1903, 1904, 1910, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1921, 1923, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1950, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1969, 1973 and 1984. It has been long the wait, but go back to reign and impose in a tournament that has had to the brothers Williams of protagonists and in which they have left to several big on the way, as it was the case of the own Barcelona picture, in chambers, and the Athletic of Madrid in semifinals.

Several 'histories' in a same party

The 'magic' of the tournament of the 'KO' carried to the teams more 'surprising' of the tournament and the final has not disappointed, at all. Javier Aguirre and Ernesto Valverde had the very clear plan and saw forced to go 'changing' with the happen of the minutes. While the bermellones bet by played more direct and the possibility to plant in the rival area in three or four touch, the group bilbaíno had big problems to create and achieve that the brothers Williams combined.

And it is that, after some minutes of total siege of the lions, that included a good finish of Ruiz of Galarreta that topó with a good pulled of Greif, went Dani Rodríguez the one who opened the marker to the 20': After a paradón of Agirrezabala, hunted the refuse Raíllo and left him the balloon to the of Betanzos so that it took out a placed shot that surpassed to the defence bilbaína for colarse in the goal. The Athletic remained 'grogui' and the game was not flowing, in spite of the occasions of Sancet or Guruzeta without success. Nico Williams had the tie in the edge of the rest, with a definition sensacional, but came of position irreglamentaria when it received the balloon of Yuri.

The rest seated well to the ones of Valverde, although they carried a fright in a swift transition of the Mallorca that finish with a hand manually of Larin that cleared the guardameta bilbaíno. It did not happen a lot so that Sancet, that was with a course more, took advantage of of a good pass filtered of Nico Williams to command a direct shot to the long stick in which at all it could do Greif. The marker was equalised, but the feeling was that the Basques were a step forward. They did with the almost absolute command and accumulated occasion after occasion to trace back the party, without success. Iñaki, Sancet or Nico retaron to the Majorcans, that answered with a finish high of Antonio Sánchez, with the left-handed, but that left far.

Joy from the batch of penaltis

With the happen of the minutes the extention called to the door. Dani Vivian tried to avoid it with a potentísimo strike that it was about to to surprise to Grief, that did not see to come the shot, just before the pitazo final and to give step to an extention in which they lived few 'emotions' and in which the wear was the main ingredient. Muniain Had the tiebreaker with a finish from the point penalti, but his finish went through on of the crossbar. The clearest had it Nico Williams, in the second part, with a shot in mouth of goal but Maffeo saved 'in extremis'. Muriqi Answered with a head butt potentísimo that caused a paradón down of Agirrezabala. The goalkeeper was the hero of the penaltis, saving one, and signalling the way to a new trophy.