Real Sociedad - Athletic: semifinal second leg at Anoeta draws roaring welcome for Matarazzo
Real Sociedad - Athletic meet in the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg at the Reale Arena on Wednesday 4 March, with Real holding a 1-0 advantage from the first leg thanks to a goal by Beñat Turrientes; the winner will go on to face Atlético Madrid in the final.
Real Sociedad - Athletic at Anoeta
The return match is scheduled at Anoeta with kickoff listed at 21: 00 local time; broadcast times for viewers in Latin America are listed as 17: 00 (ARG/URU/CHI) and 15: 00 (COL/PER/ECU), and the game is available live on Flow. Real arrives having beaten Mallorca 1-0 in LaLiga and sitting eighth with 35 points, while Athletic drew 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano and sits ninth in the league table.
Massive pre-match reception for Matarazzo and the squad
Thousands of fans gathered near the Amara area and the stadium to greet Pellegrino Matarazzo and his players, creating one of the biggest pre-match welcomes the club has seen in years with chants and heavy use of pyrotechnics; the coach and players walked the final meters to the Anoeta entrance and went into the dressing room to await kickoff.
Confirmed lineups, first-leg edge and stakes
Real Sociedad start with Marrero, Aramburu, Gorrotxategi, Zubeldia, Barrenetxea, Turrientes, Oyarzabal, Guedes, Sergio Gómez, Soler and Jon Martín. Athletic line up with Padilla, Paredes, Laporte, Vivian, Yuri, Rego, Jauregizar, Sancet, Williams, Berenguer and Guruzeta. The aggregate tie is 1-0 to Real after Beñat Turrientes scored in the first leg at San Mamés; the knockout prize for the winner is a place in the Copa del Rey final against Atlético Madrid.
Fans outside Anoeta chanted “goazen erreala, goazen txapeldun”, “erreala alealeale” and “jotaka irabazi arte”, and local pyrotechnic displays accompanied the arrival, with club staff noting the players were greeted amid heavy support before entering the stadium dressing room.
The match at the Reale Arena on Wednesday 4 March is the immediate next event for both clubs, with the tie decided on the night and the victorious side scheduled to face Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey final.
