Valencia stopped Athletic Bilbao’s third consecutive Copa del Rey final by stopping it from reaching the second leg on Wednesday.
Goncalo Guedes scored the first half, and Valencia moved 2-1 overall to reach its second Copa final after winning its eighth title in 2019.
Real Betis in Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano will play each other in the semifinal. Betis won the first leg with a score of 2-1.
Valencia was the dominant team throughout the match, creating the best scoring opportunities. Athletic couldn’t keep up with it even after a goal.
Spain’s defender Jose Luis Gaya was substituted for Valencia after he was listed as doubtful due to a muscle injury.
Valencia’s current Athletic coach Marcelino Garca Toral was Valencia’s manager three years ago when it won the title in a final against Barcelona.
Athletic lost the final in 2020 to Real Sociedad, a Basque Country rival, and the final in 2021 to Barcelona. It had defeated Real Madrid and Barcelona to reach this season’s semifinals.
Guedes won the Mestalla Stadium title with a well-placed, long-range shot in 43 minutes.
The Copa final will take place in Seville on April 23rd.
SOCIEDAD WINS LEAGUE GAME
Real Sociedad won at Mallorca 2-0 in a league match that was postponed since the 21st round.
Sociedad moved up to sixth after 26 matches thanks to Mikel Merino and David Silva scoring goals in each half. Although it is one point behind fourth-place Barcelona, the Catalan club still has a game in their hands.
Sociedad won the competition for the third time in succession, having not won in five of its previous away games.
This was Mallorca’s third consecutive loss. The team has only two wins in nine league matches. It was still in 16th, just five points away from the zone of relegation.
