Copa del Rey triumph rewards finest Athletic in 40 years
The Peninsula
Barcelona: Ernesto Valverde has won league titles in Spain and Greece and the Copa del Rey with Barcelona as both player and coach, but the Athletic B...
Barcelona: Ernesto Valverde has won league titles in Spain and Greece and the Copa del Rey with Barcelona as both player and coach, but the Athletic Bilbao manager said Saturday's Spanish cup final triumph over Mallorca was "incomparable".
Athletic edged underdogs Mallorca 4-2 on penalties after a tense 1-1 draw left two sides that could not be separated following 120 minutes of high-intensity football.
It was the Basque club's 24th Copa trophy -- only Barcelona have more -- but their first major silverware for 40 agonising years.
During that time they have reached the final six times but lost on every occasion until Saturday at a packed La Cartuja stadium in Seville.
Fans travelled in droves from the north of Spain to the sunny south to watch their team lift the club's first major trophy since 1984.
