Inaki and Nico Williams celebrating scoring a goal for Athletic Club in the Copa Del Rey (Credit: AFP)
Mallorca defeated Real Sociedad 5-4 in a penalty shootout, as the Williams brothers bagged a goal each for Athletic Club to sink Atletico Madrid 3-0 in the semi-finals
First-half goals from brothers Inaki and Nico Williams sent Atletico Bilbao on their way to a 3-0 win — 4-0 on aggregate — over Atletico Madrid on Thursday and into the Copa del Rey final.
Bilbao led 1-0 from the first leg in Madrid and quickly doubled that when Inaki Williams was teed up by his younger brother to put them one up on the night.
Three minutes before half-time, the roles were reversed with Inaki providing the assist for Nico Williams to give the Basques a three-goal cushion.
Gorka Guruzeta, who has already netted 10 tmes in La Liga this season, added a third just after the hour to seal the tie.
Bilbao are the second most successful team in the history of the Copa del Rey, their 23 titles behind only Barcelona’s 31, their most recent coming in 2020-21.
The showpiece at La Cartuja in Seville on April 6 will be their 40th final and first against 2003 winners Real Mallorca who edged past Real Sociedad on penalties earlier in the week.
Mallorca Hold On To Triumph in Penalties Over Real Sociedad
More than two decades later, Mallorca is back in the Copa del Rey final.
The Spanish club partly owned by Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and former NBA great Steve Nash defeated Real Sociedad 5-4 in a penalty shootout on Tuesday to make it to the final 21 years after it won the competition for the only time.
Mallorca goalkeeper Dominik Greif saved the opening penalty by Mikel Oyarzabal, then Sergi Darder converted the decisive kick to put Mallorca in the final. The teams drew 1-1 in regulation and were scoreless in extra time at Sociedad’s Reale Arena.
The teams had drawn 0-0 in the first leg in Mallorca on Feb. 6.
It will be the fourth Copa final for Mallorca, which hadn’t made it the title game since it won the tournament in 2003 against Recreativo Huelva. Its other final appearances were in 1991 and 1998. It hadn’t made it to the semifinals since 2009.
Mallorca’s Mexican coach Javier Aguirre had taken Osasuna to the 2005 final, when it lost to Real Betis.
Sociedad was trying to return to the Copa final for the first time since it beat rival Athletic to lift the trophy in the 2019-20 season.
Mallorca, which sits just outside the relegation zone in the Spanish league, had won only one of its last six games.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)
