Athletic Bilbao took advantage of the great atmosphere at San Mamés and the inspiration of the Williams brothers and beat the Barcelona team 4-2, this Wednesday (24), in extra time, in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.
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With this, the Basque team moves forward to try for its 24th title in the competition, which it has not won since 1984. Barça says goodbye to the only most likely chance of winning the cup of the season.
It’s worth remembering that this Wednesday’s clash brought together the two biggest winners of the Copa del Rey. Barça is the biggest winner, with 31 titles, and Athletic Bilbao is the second biggest champion, with 23.
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But the Basque team faces a long drought . Runner-up in 2019/20 and 2020/21, Athletic is a semi-finalist for the fifth consecutive season, but has not been champion since 1984. Real Sociedad and Mallorca are guaranteed in the next phase. This Thursday, Atlético de Madrid and Sevilla decide the last semifinalist.
Finally, Xavi Hernández is increasingly under pressure. His Barcelona were defeated by their biggest rival in the Super Cup final and fell in the Copa del Rey. The team is far from fighting for the Spanish title and is not a favorite in the Champions League, where they face Napoli in the round of 16.
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