Athletic have done nothing wrong in the first four editions under the new Cup format. The lions reached the final in the first two, although they lost to Real and then against Barça. The following pair of campaigns ended with the red and white team qualifying for the semifinals, although Valencia and Osasuna prevented them from reaching the final match for the title.
Seriousness prevailed in Athletic’s first cup competition since the idea of ’the cool Cup’ was launched with single-match qualifying rounds through to the semi-finals, where the ticket to the final was played in a double round. In the 2019-20 campaign, with Gaizka Garitano serving on the Bilbao bench, the lions’ KO tournament debut took place in Alicante against Intercity. The match was played at Martínez Valero, a field owned by Elche, and the rojiblancos won 0–3 with goals from Ibai, Beñat and Kodro, from a penalty.
The following season, with Marcelino as a newcomer, the premiere moved to Ibiza. The rojiblancos struggled this time to seal the defeat against the locals 1-2. Raúl García and Nuñez, in the 90th minute, sealed the comeback.
Athletic’s 2021-22 cup race begins in Jaén against Mancha Real. Nico Williams started his scoring account there by scoring two victory goals (0-2).
The same result happened last year at Alzira, with Valverde as coach. Berenguer and Nico Williams themselves sealed the pass (0-2).
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
