Copa del Rey, territory of Athletic and Real Sociedad | OneFootball

Athletic Club and Real Sociedad are back in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, a stage at least one has reached in seven straight seasons. AS notes the cup offers a more attainable route than LaLiga, where Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético dominate.

The last time neither reached the last four was 2018/19, since when they have not missed, capped by an all-Basque final in 2019/20.

Athletic beat Valencia 2-1 at Mestalla in the quarters to secure a sixth semi in the past seven seasons. Since the 2019/20 switch to single-leg ties up to the quarters, they have advanced in 25 of 26 ties. The lone exit came last season, a 3-2 defeat to Osasuna at San Mamés.

In that span they have eliminated Barcelona twice, Valencia twice, Betis and Real Madrid, and from five previous semis they reached the final in 2020, 2021 and 2024, lifting the cup in the last of those.

La Real have made the semis four times in these seven years, starting in 2019/20, which ended with derby glory, a 1-0 final settled by Mikel Oyarzabal.

They went out in 2020/21 in the last 16 to Betis, 3-1, then again to Betis in the 2021/22 quarters, 4-0. The quarters were the ceiling in 2022/23 against Barcelona, in 2023/24 they lost to Mallorca on penalties after draws at Son Moix and Anoeta, and last season Real Madrid prevailed in Donosti after a 4-4 second leg at the Bernabéu.

Source: AS