Athletic and Betis are clubs with an intense journey through the Cup. They are appreciated because they have raised the prestige of the tournament. The lions have lifted it 24 times and the Verdiblancos, two, in 1977 and 2005, both marked by today's rival. In the first case, they beat the Basques in the final and in the second, they defeated them in the semifinals. It was an exciting crossing. Betis had been in a final in 1997, but fell to Barça, so it was burning. After Villamarín's draw to zero, the protagonist in the return of San Mamés was Doblas, who kept the goal impregnable. Then the spotlights aimed at him in the penalty shootout. To open his mouth, he stopped the series' opening shot at Del Horno. Later Marcos Assunçao scored. Ricardo Oliveira, one of the leaders with Serra Ferrer, failed his. Yeste, Tiko, Orbaiz and Iraola made the target, while Joaquín, Denilson and Lembo took the tie to four with which they had to reach sudden death. This would not be long, it was resolved in the first shift. Ezquerro was not right and the Cantabrian Luis Fernández scored the fifth and final penalty for the Andalusians.
Many players have shared both teams, hence the affinity. In total, they have seen faces in 11 heats, including two finals, and there is Bilbao dominance: eight fell from their side and three, from the Sevillian. The two finals are shared one for each. In terms of matches, they end up with 8 Basque wins, six Andalusians and six draws. And in global terms, including the League, they have been measured 137 times, with 57 rojiblancos, 39 verdiblancos and 41 equal wins.
The year 1931 already paired the two teams in search of the title. On June 21, Athletic beat Betis 3-1 in Chamartín to expand its track record. The lions added the eleventh Cup to their cabinets, led at the time by Mr. Pentland. They dominated the final almost entirely, as by the 54th minute they went 3-0. In the 23rd minute, Chirri II opened the scoring and Roberto, in the 38th, put down the middle. Bata rounded off the Athletic account, which previously eliminated Sabadell, Real Unión and CD Logroño.
Copa del Rey
* Data updated as of February 3, 2021
The only victory of the Bilbao team on Betic ground in the KO tournament dates from the semifinal of the 1965-66 Generalissimo Cup, More than half a century ago, a 1-4 in which Zorriquieta, Koldo Aguirre, Arieta II and Grau scored, at an own goal, before Frasco scored the Betic goal in the final minutes. It was Athletic's second cup visit to Betis after the tour in the 1935 edition, in the round of the round of 16, when the Verdiblancos qualified thanks to the 3-1 signed by Saro, Caballero, Unamuno in front of the visitor's goal. Smell.
The Andalusians retaliated in the 1976-77 Cup final, in the 77th edition of the tournament. It took place on June 25, 1977 at the Vicente Calderón. The meeting ended with a tie at two. In the penalty shoot-out, the Betic team won 8-7. Athletic had just lost the UEFA Cup final against Juventus a month earlier. There were legends of the caliber of Iríbar, Alexanco, Villar, Irureta, Dani and Txetxu Rojo. Betis had Esnaola, internationals Biosca, López, Alabanda, Cardeñosa and Benítez and had some important casualties, such as Mühren and Attila Ladinsky, who, being foreigners, could not play the Copa del Rey. Neither did Anzarda, who was injured, and Gordillo, then a promising young man who had already played with Betis Deportivo in that competition, participated.
Copa del Rey
* Data updated as of February 3, 2021
Antonio Biosca (December 8, 1949, Almería), one of the participants in that historic tie, has looked at Athletic with respect and fear ever since. “I threw the fourth, the batch never ended, it became almost eternal. From the moment I threw it, it was all nerves until the end, but we feel proud after it.” Esnaola was the great hero of that final by stopping Iribar's twentieth shot after 2-2. “It is a shame that due to this health situation we cannot see ourselves as we did before. Esnaola is very noble, in that game he showed the confidence he had and how good he was under the sticks.”
The context changed a lot, but Biosca warns: “I remember a key match against Espanyol in the semifinals. All the way it counts. There I scored two goals, then we made a great final. Athletic were favorites, they were more used to winning. Today “It's different, everything changed a lot. The two teams are doing very well.” The shadows of the 77 final return to the scene: “I think it was more beautiful thanks to that penalty shoot-out. Athletic was very good. It's a team that I always liked. I remember that after that title, we played the first game of the Next League in Bilbao and they welcomed us in an incredible way without stopping applauding. Their audience was polite and they respected us a lot in their field “. Whoever was one of the best center-backs in the history of Betis now looks at the context of Villamarín: “I don't think the field factor is decisive. Football without an audience is not the same, the fans press, both Betis and Betis Bilbao. We looked up and that changed everything. ” The former green-and-white does not believe that there is a favorite for today and details what may be the keys to the duel: “Canales is in a great moment, Fekir must hit more in front of the goal. I am very happy for Borja Iglesias, he deserves better luck. The arrival of Marcelino is the key to this Athletic “. He does not doubt, that yes, in warning of the great Betis weakness: “Betis has many problems with spaces, you have to be harder, that they have more respect for you in every way”.
On the opposite side, the Bilbao, Daniel Ruiz-Bazán (June 28, 1951, Sopuerta), has a bitter memory of that afternoon: “I missed my penalty. It is often said that this only happens to the one who shoots it. He had scored a lot and after that one, I kept hitting it, but I wanted to do it in a different way than usual and I was wrong.” He decided in consensus with Koldo Aguirre that he should be the fifth pitcher, to have the most reliable in case he was the decisive one, “and it gave me a panic, because it was my first final.” There were those who pointed him out as guilty. “It makes me laugh, because we failed three, the decisive one, the Txopo, but they didn't get involved with him because he was God,” he laughs. “It's unfair that they remind me of that and not the 2-1 I did after stealing the ball.”
Formation of the AThletic champion in 1931
ATHLETIC
Betis had changed their coach early in the season, when their successful coach Ferenc Szusza had to return to Hungary due to legal problems and veteran Rafael Iriondo came to the bench. In the previous qualifiers he had eliminated Barakaldo, Sestao, Deportivo and Valladolid. In the quarterfinals he faced Hercules, whom he eliminated on penalties. In this way, Betis reached the semifinals for the second consecutive year, which they played against Espanyol. Athletic had begun its participation in the round of 16, by participating in European competition, forcefully eliminating Elche, Seville and Salamanca. “López, who was my size, one twenty or so (laughs) gave us a double. They had a great team, with players he knew from the National Team,” says Dani. For tonight's game, the eternal rojiblanco captain does not believe that because they are played on Betic soil, the locals are favorites “although you always see it as having a slight advantage”. He does consider that the physical aspect will influence “because Athletic comes from games with a lot of wear and tear and Betis played on Monday.”