The last time the barge left through the Bilbao estuary was on May 7, 1984. A million people came out to the banks of the Nervión to celebrate the double that the team then led by Javier Clemente had just won. Now, almost 40 years later, Athletic has another opportunity to take the barge if on April 6 in La Cartuja they beat Mallorca in the Cup final. The team now led by Ernesto Valverde got into the final after defeating tonight in San Mamés to Atlético with a great performance by the Williams brothers, who acted with surgical precision.
Atlético came out very ambitious, but the absence of their reference player, Antoine Griezmann, who injured his ankle, weighed heavily on them.
After winning the first leg at the Metropolitano (0-1), Athletic did not come out in San Mamés with the high pressure that characterizes it in its stadium, where it has ten consecutive victories. Very close together, he waited further back than usual for Atlético, to kill him on the counterattack with the speed of the Willians brothers and the play between the lines of Sancet.
Atlético had more of the ball but as soon as it got close to the rival’s area it was unable to find the opening and its possessions came to nothing. At thirteen minutes Athletic took the lead thanks to a gallop from Nico and a cross that his eight-year older brother, Iñaki, hit into the net with a monumental volley.
In the middle of the Colchonero harassment, Correa had the chance to tie, but it was again Athletic that struck before the break with a goal in the 42nd minute with the Williams in changed roles. It was Iñaki who crossed and Nico who finished ahead of the centre-backs Witsel and Savic. Once again, defensive fragility lost Atlético.
The second half, with Atlético attacking in search of the three goals it needed, was a festival of counterattacks by Athletic. The first came through Nico, but his gallop was not a goal because Guruzeta failed in the definition when he had everything in his favor.
Simeone introduced a triple change, which brought in Reinildo, Pablo Barrios and Memphis Depay, leaving Correa, Mario Hermoso and Nahuel Molina. It was of no use because at the hour mark Guruzeta corrected his previous mistake and took advantage of a rebound from Oblak to increase the score to 3-0.
Atlético tried to disguise the result in the final stretch. Riquelme and Saúl had good chances, without any of them hitting the mark. San Mamés celebrated in a big way the passage to the final. Athletic has not won the Cup since 1984. In 2021 it played two finals in a few days (one postponed due to the pandemic) and lost both, against Barcelona and Real Sociedad. The final against Mallorca will be unprecedented. For Athletic, the 40th cup final in its history. For Mallorca, the fourth.
