Copa del Rey semifinal: Mallorca and Sociedad battle out a draw
Tuesday night at a crowded Son Moix stadium, Real Mallorca and Real Sociedad squared off in a cagey 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal.
The second half was slightly more fascinating but visiting Sociedad still had the better of the few clear-cut possibilities, with Umar Sadiq failing to score from close range.
Abdon Prats, the hero of Mallorca, came closest for the islands with a low shot that was just off goal early in the second half and a volley midway through the first half.
On February 27, Sociedad is expected to advance from the second leg, but Mallorca, led by Javier Aguirre, still has a chance to win the Copa del Rey for the first time since 2003.On Wednesday, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao will play the first leg of the other semifinal.
“With this opponent, who are better than us, who have a lot of resources, I’m happy with the result,” Aguirre added.
“We knew they were going to put us under pressure, it was a game where we had to work a lot, run a lot, maybe not the most attractive, but the tie is open.”
Despite Mallorca’s uncertain position just above the La Liga drop zone following their 4-0 loss to Bilbao over the weekend, there was optimism ahead of Tuesday’s cup match.
Unfortunately, the game turned into a tactical tussle with Mallorca failing to get a single shot on goal, making it little more than a spectacle for the raucous spectators.
Real Sociedad, who will play Paris St. Germain in the Champions League last-16 the following week, gradually took control of the game and, but for some careless finishing by Sadiq, would have won and gone home.
His first half performance was unimpressive as he headed a fantastic chance over the bar, and his second half performance was even worse as he awkwardly sent the ball over the bar after failing to hit the net from a cross with the goal at his mercy.
Additionally, even though it would have been deemed offside, he fired a rebound wide after Mallorca goalkeeper Dominik Greif made a fantastic save to save an effort by Brais Mendez.
Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil said of his misbehaving striker, “He knows that this goal would have given us an advantage for the second leg, but here, when we slip up, we slip up together.” “It’s football and we have to support him.”
In addition to its Copa del Rey triumphs in 1987 and 2020, Sociedad also won the competition in 1909 under the name Club Ciclista de San Sebastian.
