Athletic Club have finally ended their 40-year long wait for a trophy by winning the 2024 Copa del Rey title. The Basque side defeated Mallorca 4-2 on penalties after open play ended 1-1 over 120 minutes of action.
Alex Berenguer stepped up to take the final penalty and win the trophy for his side and made no mistake. His winning penalty gave Athletic Club the trophy for the 25th time in their history, and first since 1984.
Athletic Club win Copa del Rey 2024 title against Mallorca
🏆 TXAPELDUNAK 🏆
— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) April 6, 2024
La 2️⃣5️⃣ se viene a casa, familia.
El Athletic Club vuelve a ser campeón 40 años después.#UniqueInTheWorld 🏆 #AthleticRCDMallorca pic.twitter.com/UIdNzsUdBX
The two underdogs of Spanish football made it to the Copa del Rey final against all odds. And it was a unique atmosphere for the Athletic Club fans, as they left the stadium in tears of joy after winning the title. Moreover, a sold out San Mames watched on away from the action, with the game being shown on TV screens for the attending fans.
In 2021, Athletic Club lost two finals in the span of a week, a painful experience for fans considering how long they had been waiting for silverware. Three years on, the stars have finally aligned for the team, and they are finally the winners of the Spanish Cup.
Football, ey? Athletic Club win the Copa Del Rey for the first time in 40 years.
— Amos Murphy (@AmosMurphy_) April 6, 2024
Oh, by the way, this isn’t where the game is being played.
This is a sold out San Mames watching the game on TVs. Magical.
pic.twitter.com/IGPhTcZSL8
Mallorca were chasing their own piece of history, as they’ve only won the Copa del Rey once before in 2003. They were playing in the Spanish third division as recently as 2018, and had the chance to win the trophy with their lead. But, he Basque side fought back remarkably to leave with the title.