Athletic has left after 11:45 am from Lezama towards the dream of the third Cup final in a row, something that has not been achieved since 1943 and 1945. He is two games away from lifting the long-awaited trophy in La Cartuja. After training yesterday afternoon, Marcelino moves his entire squad and will have to make three discards. One is the goalkeeper Ezkieta and Capa and Núñez have many ballots. The expedition departs on a charter flight, will have lunch at the concentration hotel and will rest there before leaving for Mestalla.
In Bilbao it is no longer news to play a semifinal. There are eight in a row resolved positively. But that hasn’t stopped More than a hundred supporters cheer on the departure of the team bus on its way to the airport. An image similar to the one that was recorded in Valencia in the first leg with the Bordalás squad. The day is not for much boasting in Bizkaia, since it is raining, very copiously at times. Even so, the fans, scarves in the wind, have broken into the war chant ‘Lolololololo, Aaaathletic Cluub….’, have hit the bus as a sign of encouragement, and have taken out flares and smoke canisters, while a Ertzaintza car.
In Bilbao there is already a fervor for this event. Many buildings have been dressed in red and white with flags. The red-and-white team has become an expert in knockouts since they changed their mentality in 2009 after 24 years without touching a final. In the last 50 years, only Barça has achieved it, on two occasions.