It was an eventful Thursday for Real Betis and Valencia as they’re now through to the final where they’ll face off for the prestigious Copa del Rey trophy.
Claiming the lead after the first leg of their semi-final tie proved to be the main difference for both sides, and now they’re one step closer to ending their domestic trophy droughts.
Both semi-final games featured some drama as Real Betis and Valencia needed to dig deeper in order to secure their passage to the final.
Despite carrying the lead, their counterparts and Rayo Vallecano and Athletic Bilbao gave them a scare, but timely efforts from their heroes have come to their rescue.
Borja Iglesias and Goncalo Guedes stole the headlines in the Copa del Rey 2022 news and both forwards will play a pivotal role in the final – which will be on April 23 at La Cartuja in Seville.
Without further ado, allow SBOTOP to give you a recap on what happened in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
Borja Iglesias to the rescue for Real Betis
Real Betis were pushed to the limit in the second leg of their semi-final tie against Rayo Vallecano. Heading into the game, the Copa del Rey 2022 odds were heavily favouring Los Verdiblancos to win given their superior recent form and their 2-1 aggregate lead over Los Vallecans.
As expected, Manuel Pellegrini’s men controlled much of the possession as they were content to just keep the ball away so that Rayo Vallecano couldn’t pose a threat. As a result, attacking chances have only come few and far between for both clubs.
Nabil Fekir was the first person to have a meaningful effort on target after 72 minutes and tension has been building at Benito Villamarin.
With the match still level at 0-0, desperation was creeping in for Rayo Vallecano. They were looking to score since going up 1-0 will extend their tie to the penalty shootout where it’s basically a toss up.
And it looked like they were on their way when former Manchester United forward and substitute Bebe found the back of the net at the 80th minute via a spectacular ball from a free-kick to level the aggregate scores.
The pressure shifted over to the hosts’ side as Real Betis didn’t want to the tie to be settled at the penalty shootout and that’s where Borja Iglesias came in to bail them out.
Iglesias, who was their second-leading scorer with 10 goals prior to this game, found his 11th goal of the season when he pushed the ball into Rayo Vallecano’s net after a rebound off of Sergio Canales’ miss.
Los Verdiblancos have had a solid campaign this season so far and what better way to complete their run than by adding new silverware to their trophy case for the first time in 17 years.
With Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla all suffering early exits, Real Betis appear to be the favourites to win the whole competition since they’re the highest-placed La Liga team left.
Goncalo Guedes sent the Mestalla into a frenzy
Athletic Bilbao were eager to avenge their Copa del Rey final loss to Barcelona last year. And with the lessons learned from before, Los Leones felt that they have an opportunity to shush the whole Mestalla.
Marcelino’s men should’ve won 1-0 in the first leg. They had the lead when Raul Garcia scored before halftime, only to concede an equaliser from Hugo Duro at the 65th-minute despite being reduced to 10 men after Maxi Gomez was sent off.
But while the intention was there, their body language showed the opposite as Los Leones looked fatigued from the get-go while Los Che were the more aggressive side.
Valencia kept on pressing and pushing around Athletic Bilbao and their efforts have paid off as top scorer Goncalo Guedes scored his 10th goal of the season. The Portuguese winger launched a beautiful shot from 30 yards out which had the whole Mestalla rocking.
Overall, it was another game that didn’t have much highlights since both teams couldn’t generate enough shots. In fact, Athletic Bilbao had 10 total shots while Valencia had nine – including the one that mattered the most.
After Guedes’ goal, Los Leones controlled possession as they were hunting for the equaliser, but Los Che’s defence stood firm and now they’re back at the final.
While Real Betis are the favourites to win, Valencia shouldn’t be counted out easily given their experience in this competition. They are the most recent winners remaining after beating Barcelona in 2019 to lift the trophy. Coincindentally, current Athletic Bilbao manager Marcelino was at the helm for Los Che back then.
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