Athletic Bilbao beats Mallorca on penalties to win first Copa del Rey in 40 years

By The Associated Press on April 6, 2024.

SEVILLE, Spain (AP) – Athletic Bilbao beat Mallorca 4-2 on penalties to end a 40-year wait for its 24th Copa del Rey title on Saturday.

Extra time in the final ended 1-1 after Dani Rodríguez gave Mallorca the lead in the 21st minute and Athletic’s Oihan Sancet leveled in the 50th.

Athletic won its 23rd and last Copa in 1984. Since then it had lost six straight finals, including in 2020 and 2021.

Only Barcelona and its 31 Copas has more than Athletic, which excels at the tournament despite fielding players only from or near Spain’s northern Basque Country region.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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