Athletic suffer third semi-final heartbreak in five years | OneFootball

Athletic fell short of the Copa del Rey final again, unable to overturn a 0-1 first leg deficit at Anoeta, leaving the 18 April La Cartuja showpiece just out of reach.

According to El Correo, it is their fifth near miss this century, three in the past five years, despite six finals reached. The final might have changed the mood of a rollercoaster season.

In 2022-23, the blow was brutal. Athletic were superior at San Mamés against Osasuna but profligacy, with Nico Williams prominent, proved costly and Ibáñez struck in the 116th minute.

In 2021-22, Valencia offered little encouragement. A side that lost its essence barely tested the keeper, and Guedes scored on the stroke of half-time at Mestalla.

In 2004-05 came Betis and penalties in San Mamés. A night of 40,000 voices ended in silence as Doblas excelled and the lottery went against the Bilbao side.

Before that, in 2001-02, the Bernabéu doused another hope. Real Madrid turned the tie and Athletic returned north feeling they had brushed something big.

Anoeta joins that lineage of bitter nights. In Bilbao the Cup is memory and identity, so another semi-final slips away with a special echo. The final will again be played without Athletic, and this time the dream shifts to Donostia.

Source: El Correo