Athletic Club and Real Sociedad Set for Historic Semifinal Clash

omidbasir- Athletic Club and Real Sociedad will meet tonight at San Mamés, competing for a spot in the final of the Copa de La Cartuja, a venue both teams know well, having previously lifted the trophy there. Real Sociedad secured their win in a final against Athletic, while the latter triumphed against Mallorca. The 2021 victory for Real Sociedad is often referred to by their supporters as the ‘eternal final,’ not due to its date of significance, but because the victory over their local rivals is perceived as a lasting wound in the hearts of Athletic fans.

This Wednesday at San Mamés, an everlasting semifinal begins. It is termed ‘everlasting’ not because it will be remembered forever—who knows what the future holds—but rather due to the lengthy month-long wait between the first leg at San Mamés and the return leg at Anoeta. The last time Athletic and Real faced each other in a Copa semifinal was in 1987, a match that many current members of both teams’ coaching staffs and journalists experienced from the stands of San Mamés and Atotxa.

The order of that matchup was reversed compared to today, and it concluded in the second leg, with Real winning 0-1 at San Mamés after the first leg ended in a scoreless draw. The txuriurdin would be delighted to replicate that outcome and possibly recreate a final victory over Atlético in a penalty shootout. Similarly, Athletic has analyzed its past final encounters with Atlético and Barcelona, the other semifinalists. Notably, the final between Athletic and Barcelona has occurred more frequently than any other matchup in the competition’s history. Athletic Club is pursuing their 40th Copa final.