MADRID (AP) — Iñaki Williams scored six minutes into stoppage time as Athletic Bilbao won 2-1 at Valencia to reach the semifinals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, and its Basque Country rival Real Sociedad made it to the last-four by winning 3-2 at Alaves.
Athletic will be playing in its sixth Copa semifinal in seven seasons. It won the title in 2024 and was runner-up to Barcelona in 2020-21 and to Sociedad in 2019-20.
Williams scored the winning goal with a left-footed strike from the middle of the area after a cross by his younger brother Nico Williams following a breakaway.
Athletic, which was winless in three matches across all competitions, had taken the lead in the 26th after an own-goal by Umar Sadiq, who also equalized for the hosts in the 35th.
Athletic’s Mikel Jauregizar missed a 75th-minute penalty.
Before the match, Spanish media reported that fans threw several objects at the bus carrying Athletic’s players.
The victory comes a few days after a mural with drawings of Iñaki and Nico Williams was vandalized in Bilbao, where some fans have criticized them.
Sociedad’s triumph
Young Iceland forward Orri Oskarsson scored an 80th-minute winner for Sociedad, which will be playing in the semifinals for the third straight season. It last reached the Copa final when it won the competition in 2019-20.
Abde Rebbach put the hosts ahead in the eighth minute before Mikel Oyarzabal equalized for Sociedad in the 15th. Alaves moved back ahead with a penalty converted by Toni Martínez in the 29th but Gonçalo Guedes evened the match again in the 76th.
Martínez missed a 67th-minute penalty.
Sociedad is unbeaten since losing 2-1 at home to Girona in the Spanish league in December. It was coming off a 1-1 draw at Athletic in the league on Sunday.
Alaves, which lost the 2016-17 Copa final to Barcelona, hadn’t made it to the quarterfinals since 2017-18. It was coming off two straight Spanish league wins.
On Tuesday, Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo scored in each half as Barcelona beat second-division Albacete 2-1. Albacete had shocked Real Madrid in the round of 16, eliminating the Spanish powerhouse in what was the debut of new coach Álvaro Arbeloa.
On Thursday, Real Betis hosts Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
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