Spain’s Copa del Rey sees all three top teams grace the semifinal roster for the first time since the 2013/14 season. But is Florentino Pérez’s dream of a European Super League coming to fruition, or do the underdogs still have a say? Jack Harris analyses this season’s tournament.
When Valencia triumphed in the 2019 Copa del Rey showpiece, prising the trophy from the grasp of four-time consecutive champions FC Barcelona, few could have predicted the thrilling era that Los Che‘s unlikely victory was about to usher in.
Since Daniel Parejo lifted the cup – Valencia’s first piece of silverware since 2008 – five different champions have been crowned, with plenty of unexpected outfits getting an unlikely shot at glory. Real Sociedad claimed only the second Copa of their history in 2021, in a nail-biting Basque Derby decided only by a single strike from captain Mikel Oyarzabal. Their opponents that night then, bizarrely, lost a second consecutive Copa final to Barcelona, thanks to the manic rescheduling of football necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s a competition brimming with stories: Real Betis’ penalty shootout win over Valencia; Osasuna and Mallorca reaching the final; the participation of Rayo Vallecano and Levante in captivating semifinal nights. Perhaps more so than in any other tournament worldwide, Spain’s Copa del Rey is truly unpredictable – and utterly delightful viewing as a result.
Why, then, is this season’s finale destined to be the most thrilling yet? On paper, a semifinalist list of Atlético de Madrid, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad is symptomatic of the virus that plagues world football. David will never beat Goliath because, if David manages a mere scratch on Goliath’s face, Goliath has a £100 million centre-forward waiting in the wings to punish him. Of course Real Madrid reached the semis: Leganés against Los Blancos is slingshot against bazooka.
Or, at least, it should be. The Copa del Rey is all about David taking the game to Goliath – in fact, Leganés was only one example of many. Los Pepineros owe their success thus far in LaLiga to a brilliantly watertight defensive organisation and, after coming from 2-0 to equalise in the 59th minute of their quarterfinal matchup, Borja Jimenez’s men were seconds away from forcing the twenty-time champions to an extra time grudge match. Leganés’ impassible guardian – the veteran shot stopper Marko Dmitrovic – was on the bench, but his stand-replacement Juan Soriano made save after unthinkable save to deny Aurélien Tchouaméni, Brahim DÃaz and Dani Ceballos as the game drew to a close. How bitter, then, for Real Madrid’s academy player, Gonzalo GarcÃa, to thump a header home in the last minute: had Leganés held out just a little longer, the story could have been so different.
Big upsets did happen, particularly in the early rounds. Pontevedra – an autonomous community in the Galicia region – watched their local team produce two of Spain’s greatest cup shocks, in the space of two consecutive rounds. Their outfit hosted Villarreal in Round 2: a fourth-tier club, hosting fourth in LaLiga. A late, late strike from Dalisson de Almeida sent Marcelino’s men crashing out, a year on from their previous early exit, and on the same day that fellow fourth-tier side Logrones beat Champions League side Girona on penalties.
On paper, a semifinalist list of Atletico de Madrid, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad is symptomatic of the virus that plagues world football. David will never beat Goliath because, if David manages a mere scratch on Goliath’s face, Goliath has a £100million centre-forward waiting in the wings to punish him. Of course Real Madrid reached the semis: Leganés against Los Blancos is slingshot against bazooka.
Whilst Logroñés took the mighty Athletic Bilbao to a shootout that they eventually lost, Pontevedra went from strength to strength. RCD Mallorca are no Goliath, admittedly – but they did reach the final last season. But Pontevedra produced a thrashing for the ages, firing three past Leo Román to set up a Round of 16 meeting with Getafe. In a clash that surely had Johan Cruyff turning in his grave, Getafe played the archetypal match of coach José Bordalás’ ‘anti-futbol’, scoring a 2nd minute goal before parking squad, families and team bus in front of the goal to neuter Pontevedra’s electrifying attacking impetus. Two red cards and only 16% possession of the ball had even the most cynical of viewers balking at their screens.
The fairytale seemed to fizzle out there, though, as Spain’s triopoly occupied three of the four semifinal berths. Barcelona and Atlético offered a particularly sobering reminder of the gap between Spain’s best and the rest, both teams crushing their opponents – Valencia and Getafe respectively – to the tune of 5-0. Recent figures show that the financial gap that Spain’s top three sides are building is becoming chasmic. Given the £200million spending spree of Atléti, Real Madrid’s ability to fund Kylian Mbappé’s colossal wage package, or Barcelona’s pilfering kleptomania in the Monopoly box for another ‘get out of jail free’ card, it was little surprise that these teams were able to establish a chokehold on the Copa too.
Yet, this predictability has been almost entirely excused by the unpredictability of the first legs in the two semifinal ties: there is still so much at stake. Wednesday night’s 1-0 win for Real Madrid at Sociedad’s Reale Arena had an air of inevitability about it, perhaps, but none could have anticipated just how far the Basque side would push Jude Bellingham and co. Undone only by a pinpoint pass from Bellingham that set up a cool strike from young forward Endrick, Sociedad’s denied penalty claim and consistent waves of midfield pressure will certainly have lit a fire in Imanol Alguacil’s charges. Reversing the odds at the Bernabéu is a mammoth task for any side: particularly so given Sociedad’s dreadful inconsistency in the league. However, a ramshackle Madrid backline gave Sociedad plenty of openings: you’d be fooling yourself to suggest that the spectre of Ancelotti’s defensive crisis won’t offer Sociedad an inroad on April 1st.
Given the £200million spending spree of Atléti, Real Madrid’s ability to fund Kylian Mbappé’s colossal wage package, or Barcelona’s pilfering kleptomania in the Monopoly chance box for another ‘get out of jail free’ card, it was little surprise that these teams were able to establish a chokehold on the Copa too.
The cream of the crop, though, and undoubtedly the best Copa del Rey tie in recent memory, took place at Montjuïc. Succumbing to a humiliating defeat at the hands of Barcelona’s tireless press and genius offside trap has become a rule in LaLiga this season – but, as well we know, Diego Simeone never plays by the rules. Two Atléti goals in seven minutes had Hansi Flick looking thoroughly red-faced: two more in the final ten, and Los Colchoneros had well and truly pulled Barcelona’s pants down. It was a masterclass in nullifying Barça’s secret weapon, with cute cutbacks and clever horizontal balls affording Atléti’s attack time and space to cause damage.
Full credit must go to Barça’s attacking play, though: four goals really should have been seven, in a sweeping display that was nothing short of symphonic. Atléti are the masters of set-piece defence, but outrageous deliveries from Raphina gave Cubarsà and Martinez thundering headed goals that, coupled with the sensational skill of Lamine Yamal to give Lewandowski a 4th, rounded out a stunning tie. Brimming with technical virtuosity and intriguing in its tactical complexity, the first leg performance hints at a must-watch next meeting at the Metropolitano.
Succumbing to a humiliating defeat at the hands of Barcelona’s tireless press and genius offside trap has become a rule in LaLiga this season – but, as well we know, Diego Simeone never plays by the rules. Two Atléti goals in seven minutes had Hansi Flick looking thoroughly red-faced: two more in the final ten, and Los Colchoneros had well and truly pulled Barcelona’s pants down. It was a masterclass in nullifying Barça’s secret weapon, with cute cutbacks and clever horizontal balls affording Atléti’s attack time and space to cause damage.
Down, but not out. Real Sociedad’s fervent supporters still believe – but a trip to the Santiago Bernabéu awaits. [Photo Credit: Real Sociedad Instagram]
In short, then, this season’s Copa del Rey is tricky to decipher. Yes, the big teams are winning – all four of the remaining sides, regardless of form, are consistent faces in Europe and, with the exception of Sociedad, genuine contenders for the title year in, year out. Is this evidence that Europe’s quasi-Super League winning? Those that lobbied for an exclusive ‘winners club’, machinating over more frequent matchups between Europe’s heavyweights at the expensive of those little, irrelevant teams, are getting what they asked for. There are two Madrid Derbies in the Champions League on the horizon and, chances are, a Madrid Derby – or an El Clásico – in the Copa final. A Clásico final in Europe’s premier competition is, remarkably, a very real possibility. There’s still excitement and unpredictability but, as the financial gap grows ever bigger, this is the future of Spanish football, just as Florentino Pérez prophesised.
But, he got one detail wrong: people do want to watch the Eldenses, the Osasunas, the provincial sides in La Rioja and amateur clubs in Salamanca. If the Scottish Cup, the Coppa Italia, the Copa del Rey and the Coupe de France have taught us anything, its that teams like Queens Park, Empoli, Pontevedra and Dunkerque can still wow us. It isn’t always about the final, or the trophy, or even the money – it’s about those moments of magic along the way, and the stories that will be told for years to come.
You can do a lot of damage with just a slingshot.
