Features
SAT 30.05.2015
Athletic Club make their 37th appearance in the final of the Copa de Su Majestad el Rey on Saturday 30 May, taking on FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Against los azulgranas, the Bilbao side will be looking for a 24th tournament triumph with which to close the gap on their opponents – who have a total of 26 – on the all-time list of Copa wins.
Athletic's road to the showpiece occasion has not been straightforward, however. They began their Copa campaign in the last 32 against CD Alcoyano, defeating the Segunda B club 2-1 on aggregate – but making much heavier work of their opening round than expected.
Aritz Aduriz has scored half of his team's goals in this season’s Copa del Rey
Their following tie also brought plenty of nerves, albeit their opposition this time was RC Celta. After a first leg that ended 2-4 to Athletic, they then needed away goals to qualify in the return at San Mamés. The Galicians made it an edgy night for los leones with a 0-2 victory but, despite the defeat, the result saw Ernesto Valverde’s men through to the next stage.
After their fright against Celta, Athletic moved on to what proved a tough tie against Málaga CF in the quarter-finals. 180 minutes of football brought just one goal, courtesy of the Basques’ star man, Aritz Aduriz. His 48th-minute strike in the second leg was all there was to separate the sides, and handed his team their ticket to the semi-finals, where RCD Espanyol were waiting for them.
Athletic’s road to the final has seen them lose just one game, 0-2 against Celta
True to the pattern of their 2014/15 Copa campaign, the first leg ended all square, with Aduriz again on target in a 1-1 draw. Held at home and having conceded an away goal, Athletic travelled to the Power8 Stadium needing to show all their fighting spirit. And they didn’t disappoint, stunning Espanyol 0-2 on their own patch with first-half goals from Aduriz and Xabi Etxeita.
In total, the team coached by ‘El Txingurri’ booked their place in the final against Barça with a Copa record of four wins, three draws and one defeat, scoring ten and conceding six. And having accounted for 50% of his side’s goals, it was Aduriz – whose former clubs include RCD Mallorca and Valencia CF – who proved the Basque outfit’s leading light on their way there.
© LALIGA - 2015
