The match ended 2-2 after extra time, and Pablo Marin secured the fourth Copa del Rey title in the history of the Basque club.
Saturday night is a night of celebration for the players and fans of Real Sociedad, who prevailed over Atletico Madrid on penalties (2-2 was the result after 120 minutes) and won the fourth Copa del Rey in their history.
Gonçalo Guedes started for the Basque team, and a better start to the match was practically impossible. Just 15 seconds in, the Portuguese forward crossed with his left foot into the heart of the area, and Barrenetxea’s header ended up in the back of the net.
This moment drove the thousands of fans present at the La Cartuja Stadium into a frenzy, the same stadium that just a few days earlier hosted Sp. Braga’s victory over Betis in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals.
On the other hand, special mention goes to Lookman’s fantastic first-half performance, culminating in the 1-1 equalizer in the 19th minute. After receiving the ball inside the area, the Nigerian had time and space to shoot, and the goalkeeper could do nothing to prevent the draw.
Despite this moment of inspiration from Lookman, Atletico barely managed to get the ball in the opposition’s midfield, and the score changed somewhat naturally at halftime. A mistake by Musso left Guedes injured, and the referee awarded a penalty. From the penalty spot, Oyarzabal didn’t falter and made it 2-1.
The difference remained until halftime, and both teams came out more balanced for the second 45 minutes. Even so, Atletico was almost always in possession of the ball and ended up making it 2-2 through the usual suspect. It was a true work of art by Julian Alvarez, who skillfully took an opponent out of the way and shot with his left foot, giving the goalkeeper no chance.
The Argentinian striker still had the chance to give Atletico the victory at the final whistle, but the game ended up going to extra time. There wasn’t much to tell there, as everything was decided in a penalty shootout.
Between the posts, Unai Marrero shone, saving two of the five penalties taken by the opponent, with Pablo Marin confirming the conquest of the fourth Copa del Rey in the club’s history. The last time they had lifted the trophy was in 2019/20, thanks to Oyarzabal’s solitary goal against Athletic Bilbao.
