Real Sociedad win Copa del Rey title

Sociedad ended a three-decade title drought on Saturday when it beat fierce Basque rival Athletic Bilbao 1-0 in the delayed 2020 cup final held in Seville

Seville: After being forced by the pandemic to wait a year to play its most highly anticipated match in a generation, Real Sociedad can now celebrate being Copa del Rey champions. Even if the next final is in only two weeks’ time.

Sociedad ended a three-decade title drought on Saturday when it beat fierce Basque rival Athletic Bilbao 1-0 in the delayed 2020 cup final held in Seville. Bilbao will have another shot in just two weeks when it plays Barcelona in the 2021 edition of the Copa del Rey final. Mikel Oyarzabal scored the only goal of an intense, scrappy contest dominated by defense. The Spain striker drilled his penalty kick into the right corner in the 63rd minute after Iñigo Martínez fouled Portu Portugués in the box following a precise pass by Mikel Merino.

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The match had been postponed since the end of last season in the hope that the coronavirus pandemic would improve enough to allow fans to attend the highly anticipated clash between the two regional rivals.

But with coronavirus still forcing strict limits on social gatherings in Spain, officials said it was impossible for spectators to be allowed in at Seville’s La Cartuja Stadium. Sociedad, which is based in San Sebastián, had only won the Copa del Rey twice previously in its history, in 1909 and in 1987, its last major trophy.

Before the match, a few thousand Bilbao fans violated public health restrictions in place for the coronavirus when they rallied in rowdy, tightly packed groups in Bilbao city center. At least one trash container was in flames near a crowd of mostly young people, many wearing Bilbao’s red-and-white shirts. AP