MADRID — Iñaki Williams has scored in extra time on the same day he returned from Ghana's early elimination in the Africa Cup of Nations as Athletic Bilbao beat Barcelona 4-2 and reached the Copa del Rey semifinals. Williams came off the bench near the hour mark two days after Ghana's last match in Ivory Coast. He scored off the rebound of his own shot into the post in the 107th minute. His younger brother Nico Williams then sealed the victory in stoppage time to send Athletic to the last four for the fifth straight season.
Williams came off the bench near the hour mark on Wednesday, two days after Ghana's last match in Ivory Coast. He scored off the rebound of his own shot into the post in the 107th minute. His younger brother, Nico Williams, then sealed the victory in stoppage time, sending Athletic to the last four for the fifth straight season.
It was another tough blow for Barcelona, which was looking to make it to the Copa semifinals for the second straight season. The Catalan club earlier this year had already missed another chance to win a title when it lost 4-1 to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.
Barcelona had been eliminated by Athletic in extra time in the round of 16 of the Copa in 2022.
Athletic finished runner-up in 2019-20 and 2020-21, and was eliminated in the semifinals the last two seasons — by Osasuna in 2023 and Valencia in 2022. The Basque Country club last won the competition in 1984.
Today News
Athletic finished runner-up in 2019-20 and 2020-21, and was eliminated in the semifinals the last two seasons — by Osasuna in 2023 and Valencia in 2022. The Basque Country club last won the competition in 1984.
Williams started on the bench after arriving in Spain the morning of the match between the two most successful clubs in the Copa — Barcelona has 31 titles and Athletic 23.
The 29-year-old forward entered the match in the 59th and didn't waste his chance in extra time, finding the net from close range after his initial attempt from inside the area struck the post.
“Not even in the best of my dreams I could have imagined this,” Williams said. “Everything turned out perfect. Yesterday I didn't imagine being here after a tough blow (with Ghana).”
.jpeg)
0 Comments