Athletic Club qualified for the quarterfinals of Spain’s Copa del Rey, but not before suffering for 120 minutes away to second-division side Cultural Leonesa.
Athletic played for an hour with 10 men against a side that pushed the 2024 Cup winners to the limit, before finally succumbing to an Unai Gomez penalty in extra time.
The home side started brighter of the two and was rewarded when Ivan Calero opened the scoring with a smart finish to cap a counter-attack.
Athletic needed time to react but were level after 26 minutes when Gorka Guruzeta turned and scored from outside the penalty area.
The visiting side’s joy lasted barely a minute as Calero put Cultural back ahead after Manu Justo broke the offside trap to set him up with an excellent pass, with the goal awarded after a VAR check.
It did not take long for Guruzeta to make it 2-2 with another turn and shot following a cross from Nico Williams, but it was soon 3-2 as Ruben Sobrino converted a penalty for Cultural after Dani Vivian was penalised for handball, with Athletic’s defence continuing to struggle.
There was another goal before the break when Nico Williams had his heels clipped and Oihan Sancet kept his composure to make it 3-3 from the spot.
Both sides were slightly more cautious at the start of the second half, although Athletic were reduced to 10 men in the 56th minute when Aitor Paredes was sent off for dissent by referee Jose Hernandez.
With an extra man, Cultural tried to take the game to Athletic, but neither side found a winner in 90 minutes and the match went into extra time.
There was further drama when Cultural substitute Yayo Gonzalez forced the ball into the Athletic goal after the visitors failed to clear a corner, but VAR eventually ruled the effort out for offside. Just two minutes later, the unfortunate Yayo caught Nico Williams in the penalty area, allowing Gomez to score the winner from the spot.
Atletico Madrid also progressed to the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win away to Deportivo La Coruna, with Antoine Griezmann deciding the game after 60 minutes.
In the day’s only all-La Liga tie, Osasuna raced into a 2-0 lead away to Real Sociedad, with Jon Moncayola scoring a stunning effort before a Mikel Oyarzabal own goal doubled the advantage.
Real Sociedad improved in the second half, with Benat Turientes pulling one back with 15 minutes still to play, before Igor Zubeldia levelled in the third minute of injury time.
With no further goals, Real Sociedad goalkeeper Unai Marrero then emerged as the hero, making two saves in the penalty shootout to see his side through.
— IANS
