MADRID —
Iñaki Williams scored in extra time on Wednesday, the same day he arrived from the African Cup of Nations after Ghana’s premature elimination, and Athletic Bilbao beat Barcelona 4-2 to reach the Copa del Rey semifinals.
Williams came off the bench around the 60th minute, two days after Ghana played its final match in the continental tournament in Ivory Coast. His first shot hit a post, but Williams himself took advantage of the rebound to score in the 107th minute.
In stoppage time, his brother Nico Williams secured the victory, to place the Basque club in the round of the best four for the fifth consecutive season.
Barcelona took another hard blow. They were looking to reach the semifinals of the Cup for the second consecutive season.
The Catalan entity had already lost another opportunity to win a title, when they were beaten 4-1 by Real Madrid in the final of the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Likewise, Barça was eliminated by Athletic in extra time, in the round of 16 of the Cup in 2022.
Athletic was runner-up in 2019-20 and 2020-21. They were eliminated in the semifinals during the last two editions — by Osasuna in 2023 and Valencia in 2022. The Basque club has not won this competition since 1984.
Williams started on the bench after arriving in Spain in the morning. He ended up participating in the duel between the two most successful clubs in the Copa del Rey — Barcelona has 31 titles and Athletic 23.
The 29-year-old forward came on in the 59th minute and wasted no time. He found the net after his first attempt inside the area.
“Not in the best of dreams, the truth is that everything has turned out perfect,” Williams said in statements to television. “Yesterday I didn’t expect to be here, after the blow of a pretty tough elimination, but I would like to thank Athletic for doing everything possible for me to be here and for the fans for waiting for me with open arms.”
The Lions had taken the lead with a goal from Gorka Guruzeta, in the first minute of the game.
Barcelona turned the corner with goals from Robert Lewandowski in the 26th minute and from Yamal in the 32nd. The hosts equalized again with a header from Oihan Sancet in the 49th.
GIRONA ELIMINATED
Girona, leader of the Spanish League, fell 3-2 against Mallorca led by Mexican Javier Aguirre, and missed the opportunity to play in a Copa del Rey semifinal for the first time in its history.
The hosts had taken a 3-0 lead after 35 minutes, thanks to goals from Cyle Larin, Abdón Prats and Antonio Raíllo. Girona’s goals were the work of Uruguayan Christhian Stuani in the 68th and Savinho in stoppage time.
On Tuesday, Real Sociedad beat Celta de Vigo 2-1 to reach the semifinals for the first time since four years ago, when they were crowned.
This Thursday, Atlético de Madrid — which eliminated defending champion Real Madrid in the round of 16 — hosts struggling Sevilla, which sits just above the relegation zone in La Liga.
