Athletic Club beat Mallorca in Copa del Rey final to end 40-year trophy drought

After forty years of tough competition, Athletic Club finally won their first major trophy. Alex Berenguer, at 00.51 in the morning in Seville, had a single opportunity to seize it all with one kick. Throughout the decades, the team had been close to victory but never as close as they were at that moment. Berenguer confidently approached the penalty spot, aimed at the net, and kicked with all his might. He felt overjoyed as he watched the ball land safely in the goal, securing their long-awaited victory. Berenguer's excitement was contagious as he sprinted towards the ad board and the thousands of ecstatic fans behind the goal. The team was not going to let go of this hard-earned win.

It's time to release the barge that was avoided to be mentioned and sail it down the Nervión River after 1984. Athletic was tired and had a tough time winning the game. They lost the first goal and had to make a comeback, followed by extra-time and penalties. Ultimately, they won the Copa del Rey for the 24th time, but the wait had been long and the battle was challenging. Athletic's fans applauded Real Mallorca when they received the runner-up medals, showing their respect and admiration.

The Mallorca team put up a great fight and played heroically until the very end, just like they did in the semi-finals. They knew that another shootout was a possibility and were excited about it, just like they were before. Unfortunately, things didn't go their way this time. Their young backup goalkeeper, Julen Aguirrebalaga, made a fantastic save from Manu Morlanes, and Nemanja Radonjić missed his shot. It was up to Berenguer to make history for Athletic who finally lifted the cup after a tough, grueling night. But they made it through, and that's all that matters.

Mallorca gave it their all and managed to keep standing until the end. Javi Aguirre's team scored the first goal after 20 minutes with a fortunate ball in the Athletic area. The first shot was blocked, and the second was saved, but danger still loomed. The ball fell into the hands of Antonio Raillo, Mallorca's captain and the only starter left from their third-tier days. With limited time and the temptation to shoot, Raillo remained cool and passed the ball to Dani Rodríguez, who calmly and skillfully curved the ball into the net.

Rodríguez was a late bloomer in professional soccer, only playing in top-tier games at the age of 31. However, when Mallorca made a comeback to the top flight in 2019, he immediately scored a goal in just three minutes. This was an excellent start, and his teammates ran to celebrate with him. At the beginning of the game, Athletic looked uncomfortable because of the opposing striker, Vedat Muriqi, who was tough to play against. However, just as Athletic was starting to take control of the game, Dominik Grief made a crucial save from Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta. Despite this, Rodriguez's goal put Athletic behind again.

Athletic seemed to be affected for a period of time. It may have been due to the stress of not winning a significant award for four decades, losing five straight finals, and being considered the top team. It was difficult for them to manage the mix of excitement and apprehension.

Despite not feeling completely at ease, the team managed to slowly push their opponents, Mallorca, back during the game. One of the team's best moments was when Nico Williams, who was frequently seen running up on the right, managed to make multiple advances on Mallorca. Although Nico had a good chance to score with a quick finish, the ball was ultimately called back for offside. However, Nico did not give up and continued to try, and right before the end of the first half, Ruiz de Galarreta assisted Nico again. Unfortunately, Nico's shot missed the target and hit the side-netting instead.

During the first half of the game, Guruzeta attempted to score a goal but missed. At the start of the second half, Agirrezabala had a successful save when Cyle Larin attempted to score. This was a crucial moment in the match, as the team was two points ahead and on the verge of winning the cup. However, within three minutes, Nico made a clever pass into the area, allowing Oihen Sancet to successfully score a goal. The entire Athletic bench celebrated and 40,000 fans in the stadium erupted with joy. This sudden turn of events changed the game completely.

Muriqi nearly caught them off guard earlier, but the situation has changed now. Mallorca is struggling to hold on, while Athletic is still in the game and making a comeback. Nico, in particular, was shocked when he made an exceptional run into the area, bypassing two opponents. His pass went across the goal, but unfortunately, his brother, Inaki, was unable to make the final touch to score. He did manage to reach the ball, but the goalkeeper, Greif, was there to defend.

On the opposite side of the field, Antonio Sánchez was brought on as a substitute alongside Morlanes. He shot the ball high over the goal, signaling that the game was far from over. The substitutions seemed to have boosted Mallorca's performance and they were able to handle the difficult situation. Radonjić was the next substitute to enter the game and he immediately made an impact. Mallorca was happy with the possibility of going into extra time. However, Athletic made one final effort to avoid extra time. Greif made a great save by scrambling away Dani Vivian's shot and Guruzeta missed by a small margin. Despite the efforts of both teams, the game was inevitably headed for extra time. It was already late at night, but the game continued.

The leader of Atheltic, Iker Muniain, who has been a part of five past failed finals, was brought onto the field with a small amount of time to save the day. He had an opportunity to score, but the ball just missed the goal, and then at one point a free kick almost made it in, causing excitement. Despite some close moments, Williams couldn't quite force the ball over the line and Muriqi tried a header. Finally, Aguirrebalaga saved the day during the penalty phase.

One person remained and made a remarkable and unforgettable shot.