[ad_1]
The reign of Real Sociedad as champion of the Copa del Rey will be the shortest in history, but it will last forever. Mikel Oyarzabal, the 23-year-old captain of the club he joined at 14, scored the only goal of the 2020 final, postponed a year and played just two weeks before the 2021 final. But if that trophy will be awarded soon from another person in this same stadium, nothing will take away tonight. There were tears at the end of an occasion that will always be theirs.
Not because this final was a particularly good match. In fact, it was mostly gruesome, Oyarzabal’s goal from the penalty spot and one of only two shots on goal all night, but for what it meant. And what it meant was everything. In the end, there was release, an explosion of joy for the real. For Athletic there will be another opportunity against Barcelona in fifteen days but that did not make it easier to take advantage of. This was also his everything, but he belonged to the Royal Society almost from the beginning.
Real Sociedad had not only waited a year to play this final, it was finally forced to do so without its fans despite doing everything possible to have it there; they had waited 34 years to win a great trophy, only the fifth in their history; and they had waited 112 years for this, a Basque final against Athletic Club. There had never been a game like this and at times it showed: in the tension and pressure.
Of the 22 holders, 18 were born in the historic Basque provinces and 15 were youth products of Athletic or Real Sociedad. Even the weather was Basque, a storm broke out in the second minute, the rain hit the road you are supposed to do in the old country. Lightning flashed and sounded as if the ceiling was collapsing, momentarily hiding the silence of 60,000 empty seats. If that could have brought home comfort, there was nervousness about opening up, as much fear of what might be about to happen as of what actually happened.
Athletic’s Raúl García sent the first cross shot in the 11th minute, but the most worrying man on the defenders was Alexander Isak at the other end. It is not just that the Real Sociedad striker moves fast, at 35 km / h this year, but that he moves with a lot of intelligence. Repeatedly, the Swede showed, held, fell deep, combined, spun and went for the throat. The serve for him came mainly from the right, Portu delivered the first, Andoni Gorosabel the second, but it was a dash from the left that seemed most likely to open Athletic, until Yeray Álvarez and Iñigo Martínez lunged to stop him.
Pushed back, Athletic’s defensive duo stood upright at this stage – later, it would be a different story – and then at the other end Martínez almost opened the scoring, controlling a long ball in his chest towards the left touchline, such an unlikely position as to force a double take, and he came in to hit a 25-yard shot that curved and sank and was rejected by Alex Remiro.
That reminded the real that Athletic was here, Iker Munian at the far post and Iñaki Williams already underway. But this was still tense, still nervous, the weight of the story on them all. And the weight of the work continued the real‘s. When the second half started, it already looked like the first goal would win this. And it could come from anywhere, from any isolated moment, like the long VAR check for a possible penalty for a Martinez hand in the first minute.
In the end, that happened outside the box, but a penalty followed shortly after. Mikel Merino folded a beautiful ball past defense, spinning across the grass. Portu arrived first and fell. If he had looked for the contact, he had found it. Falling with him, behind and slightly to the side, Martinez seemed to grab Portu’s ankle. Xavier Estrada Fernández pointed out the point and then took out a red card; although the card was changed to yellow after a five-minute control, the penalty remained. Oyarzabal scored the goal. The goal.
The Fiver: sign up and receive our daily soccer email
Athletic needed to score, but first they needed the ball and that was proving quite hard. When they got it, they gave it away again, struggling to chain two passes together, let alone three. The game could be described as stop-start, only it rarely started. Not much happened, sometimes it seemed that as many fouls were committed as passes were completed, and Real Sociedad seemed comfortable with that. Athletic simply couldn’t find a way.
When the board finally went up revealing how much time was left in the first Basque Cup final in history, it could have been a last lifeline, but it wasn’t. The Royal Society had waited long enough for this; all his life, in fact. Eight more minutes wouldn’t matter.
