Luis Núñez-Villavearán
Updated Thursday, February 29, 2024-23:37
On the
San Mamés
turntable , there is no 33 RPM key.
The Bilbao stadium forces all the teams that visit it to play at 45 revolutions per minute.
Sharpness and precision are needed in play and touch.
There is no other way or the needle does not play the melody you want.
[Narrative and Statistics, 3-0]
Atlético
came out revolutionized, aware, as they did against Las Palmas, that in the absence of
Griezmann
, the pause and the magic of the team, they also need to play with a lot of rock and roll
.
But music, many times, needs soloists who stand out within the orchestra.
And the
Williamses
are
Angus Young
and
Keith Richards
together on a football field.
Both decided the match and put
Athletic
in the final of the Copa del Rey.
Family's things.
It is impressive what brothers generate.
They are a constant threat to the rival defense.
They combine, they push, they go deeper and, this year, they finish.
A force of nature that is impossible to stop when they are in the race and, to the detriment of the Atlético defense, the two were able to run a lot to the misfortune of the red and white aspirations.
They destroyed the mattress defense, exchanging roles as the play needed.
In the 13th minute it was
Nico
who left
Molina
behind on Athletic's left profile to take a cross from the baseline that
Iñaki
, unmarked because Hermoso turned too much towards the penalty spot, impaled the corner with his shin.
The goal cooled the red and white mood a little, like a
Carla Bruni
song at an ACDC concert, until
Angus Young
shook the bar again.
This time it was in the 43rd minute when
Iñaki
confronted
Hermoso
with a ball recovered in the opposite field, he feinted at full speed and put it behind so that his brother could hit the ball between four Colchonero defenders.
The only one from Athletic in a small area against, we repeat, four Atlético players.
If the
Williams
marked the
guitar
riffs ,
Sancet
laid the foundation.
The midfielder was the axis that supported Athletic
's exits
, an axis, furthermore, that spared no effort.
His were the passes that were thrown in the race to both brothers and his was the brain that composed the Bilbao melody supported by his faithful squires:
Prados
and
Ruiz de Galarreta
.
Athletic
had the semi-final where it wanted, with
Atlético
powerless despite having taken the initiative in the first half, but
Morata
has not returned from the injury as he left and
Correa
's offensive contribution
is far from that provided by
Griezmann
.
The Argentine moved dangerously, but decided poorly on the last touch.
The duel cooled down, partly because of
Athletic
's interests , partly because of the stoppage that occurred at half-time to attend to a fan in the stands of
San Mamés
, the second in the match.
The first medical attention was resolved in a few minutes, but the incident at half-time delayed the start of the second half for almost a quarter of an hour.
And who else was going to warm up
San Mamés
again but a
Williams
.
Nico
took advantage
of a ball fired by the red and white attack after a foul in his favor and faced
Molina
in a 60-meter race.
The Argentine must be applauded for his attempt, but it was like watching Bolt
's rival
chase him in his prime.
Nico
waited for his teammates to arrive, but
Sancet
's shot
, the first to come from the center lane, went over.
Judgment
The party then turned even more towards Bilbao's interests.
The Basques crouched and waited for Atlético de Madrid
's approaches,
aware that the more space left behind the mattress defense, the greater advantage the
Williams
would have to continue causing damage to their sides.
Another counterattack was not needed to finish off Atlético.
It was a cross from
De Marcos , which
Guruzeta
extended
towards
Sancet
, alone at the far post, this low and tight shot,
Oblak
responded , but the ball fell to the feet of
Guru
, who scored without opposition.
Too much punishment for an
Atlético
that had more options in the first leg, but was helpless in
San Mamés
.
The colchoneros threatened in the last minutes to look for the goal of honor.
Morata
,
Memphis
and
Riquelme
tried, but Agirrezabala responded well.
It wasn't the night for honors.