Atlético Madrid failed to lift the Copa del Rey, falling in the final match of this season’s competition. Until the final, they had an impeccable run, eliminating Atlético Baleares, Deportivo (away), Betis (also away), and Barcelona.
The club missed out on adding an 11th Copa title to their history.
Real Sociedad, in particular, has been a difficult opponent for Atlético. The two sides had only met once before in a final, back in 1987, when Real Sociedad won on penalties in Zaragoza. That match was controversial, as referee Ramos Marcos did not call a clear penalty by López Rekarte on Julio Prieto in the 88th minute with the score level. The final was decided from the spot.
Atlético had not played a Copa final since 2013, when they triumphed over Real Madrid at the Bernabéu thanks to Miranda’s historic header. They will have to wait until next season to try to expand their trophy cabinet.
The club now has 10 lost Copa finals. The first came over a century ago, in the 1920–21 campaign, a 4–1 defeat to Athletic Bilbao. In the 1920s they also lost 3–2 to Barcelona (1925–26). The third was in the 1955–56 season, 2–1 to Athletic. The fourth came in 1962–63, when Zaragoza beat them 2–1. In the fifth, Real Madrid won 2–0 in 1974–75 (after extra time). Then came the 1986–87 final loss to Real Sociedad mentioned above. The seventh was in 1998–99, 3–0 to Valencia. The eighth came the following season, 1999–2000, a 2–1 defeat to Espanyol, famous for Tamudo’s goal and goalkeeper Toni’s error. In this century, the ninth was in 2009–10, when Sevilla beat them 2–0.
Copa Final | Atlético-Real | Griezmann
“I owe a lot to Real Sociedad”
Atlético de Madrid
Giuliano: “I’m going to play a final with the team of my dreams”
Atlético, however, won’t have time to dwell on the loss. In a few days they face Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal at the Metropolitano. Simeone’s team knows they are on the verge of another final, this time in Europe’s top competition, and the objective now is to ensure the Copa defeat doesn’t affect their Champions League campaign.