Tuesday night, Osasuna earned a 2-1 victory on the road against Athletic Bilbao and a spot in the Copa del Rey final thanks to a goal from Pablo Ibanez in the 115th minute.
After Sergio Herrera, the Osasuna goalkeeper, made a series of excellent saves to keep his team in the game, Ibanez sent a volley into the corner of the net to send his team through.
Athletic attacked, but Herrera made five or six crucial stops. Athletic nevertheless paid the price for their failure to score.
In the seventh minute, Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera effectively stopped Gorka Guruzeta’s attempt to swiftly equalize the score for the home team, according to a Xinhua report.
The game between the local rivals was as tight as you would expect for the second leg of a semifinal, and Athletic midfielder Mikel Vesga was the first player to get a booking for a tackle from behind.
In an effort to celebrate his new deal with Athletic, Oihan Sancet found himself in advantageous situations on a few times on the outside of the Osasuna area, but no one was able to latch onto his pullbacks.
As Athletic kept up the pressure, Nico Williams shot wide, and Herrera made a great save on Oscar de Marcos’ diving header after a well-placed cross from the teenage winger. Nevertheless, Athletic tied the score from the next corner as Vesga received a flick and Inaki Williams scored from close range. The save proved ineffective.
Kike Garcia had a fantastic opportunity to tie the score for Osasuna at the opposite end, but Julen Agirrezabala stopped his attempt and Yuri cleared as Ruben Garcia lunged for the loose ball.
Athletic had opportunities to take the lead in the second half, but Nico Williams missed two shots when he should have at least connected on one, the second coming after Herrera made a commendable stop from Raul Garcia.
When the game entered overtime, Herrera further performed a block to stop Inigo Martinez at the far post. Nevertheless, in extra time, he stopped Vesga from converting a corner, giving Ibanez the chance to shine and bringing Osasuna back to a cup final for the first time since 2005.
In the second semifinal on Wednesday, FC Barcelona will defend a 1-0 first-leg advantage against Real Madrid at home.
