Mallorca loses Copa del Rey on penalties

Bitter disappointment in Seville after the euphoria of goal scored in the first 20 minutes.

Optimism soared at the twenty-minute mark in the final of the Copa del Rey when a long-range shot by Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqi gave Mallorca their first opportunity.

The curve ball flipped through the penalty area before Dani Rodríguez shot it in.

Bilbao then relentlessly went on the attack, but Mallorcan goalkeeper Dominik Greif thwarted numerous attempts to score.

However, 23-time winners Bilbao controlled much of the game with nearly 70% possession.

1-1 draw

At minute 50 Nico Williams stole the ball from Dani Rodríguez and passed to Bilbao’s Ohian Sancet, who evened out the score.

After extra time, the score stood at a 1-1 draw and the final result was decided on penalties.

The Mallorcan team’s hard work defeating the onslaught of Athletic Bilbao throughout the match ultimately unravelled during the penalty shootout.

Players were beginning to show signs of fatigue, rubbing their calves against cramps.

Mallorca failed to line up the goals or save two of the four shots by opponents Athletic Bilbao.

Bilbao goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala managed to fend off  the Mallorcan penalty shots.

Athletic Bilbao thus scored a perfect four in a row to win 2-1.

Packed stadium

La Cartuja stadium holds 60,000 spectators and was sold out, with 12,000 Mallorca fans present.

The consensus among the Mallorcan fans that it was frustrating to come so close to such an important victory only to lose on penalties, but that Mallorca had played magnificently.

Tears and pride

In a post-match interview with IB3 central mid-fielder Sergi Darder said, with tears in his eyes, that perhaps in years, months or even weeks to come we would recall the day’s events with more happiness but that “right now it is very complicated and hard”.

Trainer Javier Aguirre emphasised that the team is “beyond reproach” and that he was “very proud and pleased to be here” at the Copa del Rey final in Seville.