Luis Núñez-Villavearán
Updated Friday, March 1, 2024-00:44
Chronicle The Williams terrorize Atlético and put Athletic in the final
Report Javi Clemente's son, the discreet Athletic coach who ''never gets into trouble''
Simeone
said
in the preview that when a coach imagines a game, sometimes it comes out and other times it is totally different.
The Argentine coach projected a Copa del Rey semi-final return, but he did not take into account that the
Williams
imagined a very different one.
They made San Mamés theirs and subdued Atlético.
"The last semi-final was very sad for the
Williams
, but football always offers revenge," Iñaki commented at the end of the match.
The eldest Williams
was referring
to the loss last season against Osasuna after several missed shots by the two Bilbao forwards.
Redemption came against Atlético.
They destroyed the mattress defense and showed an effectiveness that they have not had in their career.
The one that the Bilbao team also exhibited: 10 shots, seven of them on goal and three of them ended in a goal.
"The first time it was a goal and the second time it was a goal, and they are details that seem small, but they are important," is how
Simeone
referred to the forcefulness that the
Williamses
and Athletic had.
Something that they lacked in the first leg.
"When the situation does not work out you have to be calm and think about Betis," Cholo completed.
Speed, or the "speedsters" as
Simeone
said , were one of the keys or fears for this match and both brothers met expectations, unfortunately for Cholo.
"It was not a question of speed but of skill," the Argentine coach began, although he later specified that it was "mental speed" and not physical.
That mental speed, maturity if you will, is what
Nico
showed in every action of the match.
It seems incredible that he is 21 years old.
He participated in the first two goals, one assisting his brother and the other anticipating four red-and-white defenders in a small area to do it himself.
"We gave our all," the minor commented about a match in which he did not expect such a "large result."
Llorente
tried to contain him
when
Simeone
brought him down from the middle to the side in the second half, but the damage had already been done.
"When you concede so easily, the tie becomes very difficult for you," said the Madrid player who started on the inside left.
The mattress hope
The possibility of the Cup is over, a tournament that Atlético has not won since 2013. The final was played at the Bernabéu against the eternal rival and which the colchoneros won 1-2.
"This season we have arrived further ahead in the Cup than others, a shame for this last effort," lamented
Simeone
.
At Atlético de Madrid, hopes are pinned on achieving the goal in the league which, as
Simeone
and
Llorente
mentioned , is to be among the top four.
And in dreaming of a Champions League that "will be a final" for the footballer and that "requires forcefulness," according to the coach.
Medical interventions
During the meeting there were two health interventions.
One midway through the first half and another at halftime of the match.
The first could be solved in a few minutes and was due to a fan's syncope.
The second delayed the start of the second half for a quarter of an hour due to the choking of a fan, which could have caused cardiorespiratory arrest, according to some sources.
The fan had to be evacuated to the hospital after being stabilized by the stadium's medical services.
Furthermore, in the moments before the match, an Atlético de Madrid fan was beaten by Bilbao fans which forced him to be hospitalized for serious injuries.