Betis and Athletic faced each other at the Benito Villamarin Stadium for the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. We have the player ratings.
Athletic Club Bilbao are through to the Copa del Rey semi-finals after beating Betis 2-1 on a penalty shootout. The game was well disputed from both sides, with the draw being the fairest result. However, 23-year-old goalkeeper Unai Simon became the club hero as he saved two penalties.
The first 45 minutes came to an end after the Spanish teams made equal efforts to open the scoreline. Although both Betis and Athletic had a few good chances, none of the sides created enough danger to get in the lead. Fekir and de Marcos were the big plusses from the first-half as the creative players raised havoc in their opponent’s defenses.
In the second half, the game started to look a bit more open and Betis were the ones able to take advantage of it. Fekir was challenged as he made his run, the ball ended up in Juanmi’s feet. The substitute didn’t think twice and scored a great goal on the volley.
Although Los Verdiblancos slightly outperformed Athletic in the last 45 minutes, the Basque side never gave up and were rewarded for it. Just seconds before the end of the match, Inigo Martinez sent a perfect cross to Raul Garcia. The midfielder jumped in the air and drove Bilbao to madness with a wonderful header.
As none of the teams were able to score after extra-time, the game then proceeded into a penalty shootout. This was when Athletic’s goalkeeper Unai Simon grabbed the spotlight once again. In fact, the 23-year-old managed to stop both Canales and Juanmi’s efforts of hitting the net.
Athletic Club now join Barcelona, Levante and Sevilla in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
Player ratings
Betis: Robles (6), Montoya (6), Mandi (5), Ruiz (5), Miranda (7), Carvalho (6), Rodriguez (6), Ruibal Garcia (5), Canales (6), Fekir (7), Iglesias (5).
Bench: Juanmi (7), Guardado (5), Sidnei (4), Joaquin (5), Tello (5), Emerson (5).
Athletic: Simon (7), Lekue (5), Yeray (6), Martinez (7), Berchiche (6), Dani Garcia (6), Vesga (5), Berenguer (6), de Marcos (7), Raul Garcia (7), Villalibre (5).
Bench: Williams (6), Vencedor (5), Capa (5), Lopez (5), Morcillo (5).
Feel free to make your pick on the player’s ratings and performances using the widget below.
Be sure not to miss out on the latest news about Athletic Club Bilbao
Download our brand new App and follow your favorite players, clubs, and much more
