Atletico Madrid eliminate Real Sociedad in the final preview of the Copa del Rey
Atletico Madrid 3-2 Real Sociedad
Just days after Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad booked their place in the Copa del Rey final in Seville, both managers had the opportunity to take a closer look at their opponents. Whether it was through fatigue or trickery, Diego Simeone and Pellegrino Matarazzo made 13 changes to their XIs for the second leg of the semi-final, perhaps depriving their opponents of any useful intel.
The aggressive Metropolitano had their heroes saluted and Los Colchoneros wasted no time in the sparring that often opened the match. Pressing up, a long throw went to Alexander Sorloth, who met the ball on the volley, and put it to Alex Remiro in the 6th minute. After a good job from Ademola Lookman to escape his man, Rodrigo Mendoza was freed on the right side of the box after Ademola Lookman, but his cross could not find Sorloth, as Los Colchoneros threatened to take out their Txuri-Urdin.
🚨🤯 David Hancko received his first yellow card as an Atlético Madrid player.
It took him 3,208 minutes in 38 games.
He was the defender in Europe’s top 5 leagues who played the most minutes without receiving a yellow card this season.
[via @atletico_stats_] pic.twitter.com/deDkvnSIgY– Atlético Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 7, 2026
The truth is, Carlos Soler could not have timed his 9th minute curling effort into the top corner better. Luka Sucic found Soler in a pocket of space on the edge of the box, and he left Jan Oblak helpless as he dived to his right two touches later. The home side continued to look threatening as they came forward, but it was Matarazzo’s that made it tough – all in the first 15 minutes.
After a moment of silence, Atletico began to turn the screw again. Jon Martin and Duje Caleta Car were working overtime to prevent crosses from reaching their target, but Jon Maria Gimenez was first to the corner, and Sorloth crossed with Giuliano Simeone, but neither could make a clean connection. Even if Atletico were gaining ground, it will be on Matarazzo’s mind that his side need more oxygen, with Orri Oskarsson, Pablo Marin and Barrenetxea unable to hold onto the ball long enough for La Real to come out.
Los Rojiblancos continued to have a flurry of chances, with one Matteo Ruggeri cross that Sorloth might have wanted to score, but it blazed over the bar. It wasn’t until stoppage time that Real Sociedad had another attacking threat, with Sergio Gomez blazing down the left flank, and Sucic making a spectacular run, beating four Atletico defenders on his way to the edge of the box. His shot couldn’t match the run, but Atletico’s thoughts were on Rodrigo Mendoza, who limped off Marcos Llorente on the stroke of half-time.
After a tense moment from Remiro, who struggled to collect the set, Real Sociedad began to play in more terms. Mikel Oyarzabal and Goncalo Guedes were introduced, and it initially opened up space for Sucic to get forward on the break. In the same way, Atletico had four pairs of new legs as well, and more space was added to their enthusiasm. Yangel Herrera and Caleta Car probably got the necessary touches in the stoppage to ensure Remiro didn’t face a clean shot.
Winning the ball up, Julian Alvarez looked to have a clear chance on the left side of the box, but a check inside, showed his lack of confidence. Nicolas Gonzalez should have cut the crossbar, but leaning back, blazed into the penalty area. It was less than two minutes later when Gonzalez came down the right flank, sliding past Antoine Griezmann, his back heel into his path. At this time, Argentina was named, and slotted past Remiro from the bottom line.
Until the noise of the goal stopped, and Real Sociedad went back for a second time. Coming forward almost straight from the start, Txuri-Urdin got to the bottom of the Atletico box, and the ball was cut to Oyarzabal. Like Soler, he had no hesitation, slotting the ball into Oblak’s top right corner for a superb second equaliser.
With Griezmann playing in the heart of Atletico’s attacking midfield, and Atletico struggling to find Oyarzabal in midfield, the game has broken down to the core, as both sides see a winner likely. It was varied fielding that gave Los Colchoneros the advantage for the third time, with Sorloth forcing Remiro into a superb save. Reusing the ball though, Matteo Ruggeri’s fine cross from the left was powered in by Gonzalez for the second nine minutes from time.
However, this time, they were able to catch it. Determined not to relinquish the lead for the third time, Simeone moved his troops back to more secure positions, and when he got the ball back, he stood for the safe option.
Despite progressing to the final on Tuesday, Atletico can legitimately claim that they are playing their best football of the season. If at times it felt as if a team blessed with attacking talent were playing to their strengths, now the sense is that Simeone has plenty of weapons to choose from. In addition, Simeone looks very comfortable sending his team to press high, and his players are responding.
Matarazzo saw his team play evenly on the night, but he won’t be too discouraged. Real Sociedad looked easy in the first half, but after the introduction of their preferred weapons, they realized that theirs could hurt Los Colchoneros. Both managers now have a month of games to ensure their squads are no distractions ahead of their trip to Seville, with Atletico in third and Champions League, Real Sociedad very much in the European race in 8th place.
