The times Athletic were the home side at Anoeta | OneFootball

The Basque derby has thrown up a quirk, Athletic have twice been the designated home side at Anoeta, the venue for the Copa semi-final second leg. As reported by as.com, those switches bookend decades of shared use.

San Mamés was officially opened in September 2013 against Celta. Because an earlier home date came before the finishing touches, Athletic moved 100 kilometres to San Sebastián, hosting Osasuna at Anoeta in August 2013 and winning 2-0 via an Arribas own goal and De Marcos.

Members pre-booked just over 13,000 seats, yet about 20,000 attended despite a 22:00 start and Bilbao’s Aste Nagusia. To adapt, the squad held one closed training session at the ground.

Earlier, in April 1997, Sevilla visited in a fixture moved after San Mamés was closed for one game when a firecracker at La Catedral injured Real Zaragoza keeper Otto Konrad. It ended 0-0 before nearly 30,000, many ferried by more than 300 club coaches.

The reverse occurred in October 1980, when Real Sociedad borrowed San Mamés for a UEFA Cup tie with Újpest Dózsa after Atotxa’s closure. Reduced to 10 for almost an hour after Celayeta’s red card, they advanced through Satrústegi’s 88th-minute rebound. That campaign ended in April with their first league title, sealed by Zamora’s 92nd-minute equaliser at El Molinón.

Source: as.com