Athletic faces Valencia in Copa after slaying Madrid, Barça
By JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Athletic Bilbao is again showing Spain why it claims to be the “king” of the Copa del Rey. Athletic advanced to the semifinals of the “King’s Cup” on Thursday after eliminating Real Madrid 1-0. That came two weeks after it had prevailed 3-2 over Barcelona. Athletic plays Valencia in next week’s semifinals while Real Betis faces Rayo Vallecano. Athletic’s tally of 24 cup titles is second only to Barcelona’s 31 but the last one was in 1984. Since then Athletic has lost six finals, including the last two. Now the club that only has players from the Basque Country region in Spain’s north and neighboring areas is one step away from a third straight final.