Athletic derail Real Madrid’s bid for the double ,

 

Real Madrid’s

Sports Office, Feb 3 (EFE). -Athletic Club nipped Real Madrid 1-0 Thursday in their Copa del Rey quarterfinal, putting an end to the LaLiga leaders’ expedients of the domestic double and sustaining their own quest for a 24th title in the competition. 

 

 The festivity in Bilbao followed a crushing defeat for Basque derby rivals Real Sebastian at the hands of Real Betis in Thursday’s other quarterfinal. 

 Real Madrid prevailed 2-0 over AthleticJan. 16 in the Spanish Supercup final in Saudi Arabia, but the author of one of the Blancos’ pretensions in that game, Karim Benzema, was out of the platoon for the Copa del Rey tie due to injury. 

 The action belonged to the hosts during the first half at San Mames, winning six corners, and Dani Garcia tested Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with a blast from close range. 

 Indeed so, the sides went to the dressing apartments compound 0-0. 

 Athletic kept up the pressure and Courtois had to be sharp to deny Iñigo Martinez beforehand in the alternate half, but as the match wore on, the home team began to pay the price for the wild pace and the run of play listed in Real Madrid’s favor. 

Yet the Blancos failed to take advantage of the shift and with a minute left in regulation, Athletic’s Mikel Vesga interdicted a pass out from the hamper and bear the ball to Alex Berenguer, who bested Courtois with a shot just inside the far post. 

 

 Isco Alarcon missed the net on an occasion for the equalizer in the 94th minute and Athletic seized the semifinal situation after knocking off holders Barcelona and potent Real Madrid in race. 

 The jubilation in Bilbao was a stark contract from the bedimmed mood 101 km (60 mi) east in San Sebastian, where Sociedad suckers saw their team barred from the Copa del Rey by Betis for the third time in four seasons. 

Real Madrid’s

 To make matters worse, a brace of former Sociedad players reckoned for three of the guests’four pretensions. Juanmi scored 12 beats into each half to make it 2-0 for Betis and Willian Jose converted a penalty in the 83rd minute. 

 Aitor Ruibal added a fourth thing with three beats remaining in regulation. 

 Sociedad looked to have evened just before half- time when Adnan Januzaj pounded in a David Silva cross, but the thing was disallowed for an offside. 

Valencia, an eight- time Copa del Rey winner, and surprising Rayo Vallecano settled semifinal places on Wednesday 

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Madrid plodded to produce chances in Bilbao-- their swish occasion saw Casemiro's low shot saved in the alternate half-- as the team missed the injured Karim Benzema. 

 

"It wasn't our worse game of the season,"Ancelotti said."A delicate game, and we knew it would be, but that's all. We won also in the league (1-2 in December) but it was tough. This match was indeed until the last minute. 

"Athletic earned it with the trouble they made, but I don't suppose we played our worst game of the season moment."

 Ancelotti's accommodations at San Mames came under scrutiny after he left Luka Jovic, Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale on the bench, despite the need for pretensions. 

"I shifted (Toni) Kroos for (Eduardo) Camavinga and Vinicius for Isco because of lassitude,"Ancelotti said."I was allowing about making changes for spare time, but unfortunately they scored in the last minute."

"Why would you talk about them?"he said, after being asked if Jovic, Bale and Hazard had been concrete out. 

"Why not (Dani) Ceballos or (Dani) Carvajal? Everyone who didn't play would have to have been punished, not just those three. I took opinions and didn't use those players.