Real Sociedad beats Athletic Bilbao 1-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final

Real Sociedad claimed derby bragging rights on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final.

Beñat Turrientes scored the only goal of the match from close range in the 62nd minute at San Mames, giving Sociedad a slim lead ahead of the second leg in March.

Sociedad will be playing in the Copa semi-finals for the third time in a row as they chase a first final appearance since lifting the trophy for their third title in 2019/20.

Athletic are now in their sixth Copa semi-final in seven seasons. It won the league in 2024 against Mallorca and finished runners-up to Barcelona in 2020-21 and to Sociedad in 2019-20.

The defeat extended Athletic’s winless run against Sociedad to four games, after winning the previous two meetings. Athletic have 24 Copa del Rey titles, behind only Barcelona (32). Real Madrid is third with twenty.

The other semi-final starts on Thursday, when Atletico Madrid hosts defending champion Barcelona in the first leg. Barcelona have reached the last four of the Copa in four seasons in a row, while Atletico are in the semi-finals for the third season in a row. Lihat juga hgtgdfgdtr13. Atletico last reached the final when they won the tournament in 2019/20.

Athletic reached the semi-finals thanks to Iñaki Williams’ injury-time winner in a 2–1 win over Valencia. Sociedad booked their place in the last four with a 3-2 win over Alaves.

Published on February 12, 2026