Athletic Club 0-1 Real Sociedad: Turrientes gives txuri-urdin Copa del Rey advantage | OneFootball

Beñat Turrientes handed Real Sociedad a deserved 0-1 victory against Athletic Club in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, despite the txuri-urdin being denied a first-half penalty.

VAR stole the spotlight late in the first half when Real Sociedad were denied a penalty after an apparent Aymeric Laporte handball inside the box.

But the visitors had been dominant and made that pressure tell shortly after the hour mark when Beñat Turrientes stabbed home from close range.

They take a crucial one-goal advantage into the second leg, to be held at San Sebastián’s Reale Arena on Wednesday 4 March.

As it happened

Iñaki Williams’ early effort at San Mamés did not prove to be indicative of what was to come throughout a first half that was largely dominated by Real Sociedad’s potency on the counterattack.

The txuri-urdin, looking to extend a ten-game unbeaten run in all competitions, came close to finding the opener with 11 minutes on the clock but Gonçalo Guedes, who scored the opener in a 1-1 LaLiga draw between these sides earlier this month, dragged his shot wide.

Iñigo Lekue’s delivery from the right flank looked to give the hosts an excellent chance to score and Gorka Guruzeta did well to nod the cross goalwards, though Álex Remiro was able to claim the tame effort with ease.

Mikel Oyarzabal looked lively and the 28-year-old’s teasing strike from the edge of the box curled just wide of the top-left corner, mere minutes before Guedes’ well-placed through ball allowed Pablo Marín to force a reactionary save from Álex Padilla.

But the real controversy arrived just before the break, when Real Sociedad were denied a penalty after Duje Ćaleta-Car’s header struck the arm of Aymeric Laporte inside the box.

Amidst flaring tensions, Iñaki Williams could have grasped the opener with the final action of the half, though his low effort from inside the box was driven into the arms of Remiro.

Athletic Club were no more than mere passengers when play resumed for the second half and were afforded another lifeline when Marín inexplicably struck the woodwork from two yards out after Padilla did well to palm away Oyarzabal’s initial effort.

As the hour mark approached, Guedes burst forward on the left and thought he had won a penalty after falling to ground under pressure from Lekue; the referee judged he had dived, and produced a yellow card.

He soon contributed to the breakthrough though, remaining calm under pressure from Padilla to dink a ball over the sliding goalkeeper to allow Beñat Turrientes to stab home the opener from close range.

Nico Williams, having replaced his brother, looked to turn home a Selton Sánchez ball inside the final ten minutes of the action, though a resolute txuri-urdin defence – keeping their first clean sheet since 3 December – denied the forward the equaliser.

Victory at San Mamés puts Real Sociedad in control ahead of next month’s second leg, set to get underway at 20:00 GMT on Wednesday 4 March.

Analysis: How will Zurigorri respond after another defeat?

Athletic Club have not had it easy in the Copa del Rey this season. Ernesto Valverde’s side needed extra time to edge past third-tier Ourense and second-tier Cultural Leonesa, and left it until the 96th minute to secure progression against Valencia in the last round.

Wednesday’s match – just the third time these two Basque sides have faced each other at this stage of the Copa del Rey – did not prove to be any simpler for the zurigorri.

They were afforded a lifeline when José María Sánchez Martínez opted not to award a penalty after an apparent handball infringement by Aymeric Laporte, but they failed to take advantage and were dominated by their Basque rivals after the break.

Valverde insisted in his pre-match press conference that the first leg would “not be decisive,” and to an extent, he was right. The result is far from wrapped up, but what will be decisive for the zurigorri is how they fare over the next three weeks ahead of their must-win trip to San Sebastián.

They have managed just one win in LaLiga since 6 December. Real Sociedad, meanwhile, have hit flying form under Pellegrino Matarazzo, extending their unbeaten run to a whopping 11 games on Wednesday.

How Valverde’s men prepare mentally, particularly if they are unable to pick up regular wins in LaLiga, could be the key to deciding who progresses to face Barcelona or Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey final.