The Queen’s Cup has recovered the round-trip semi-final format for this season and the first of them, the one between Atlético de Madrid and Real Sociedad, will be decided in the second and final match after the 1-1 draw in the first leg played this Wednesday in Alcalá de Henares. The red and whites, current champions of the tournament, saved a draw thanks to a goal in the 90th minute against a Txuriurdin team that will now have the stands in their favor for the return leg on Wednesday of next week in Zubieta (6:30 p.m., on Teledeporte).
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Lola Gallardo, Sheila García, Ainhoa Moraza, Carmen Menayo, Cinta Rodríguez, Gaby García, Eva Navarro, Vilde Bøe Risa, Marta Cardona, Rasheedat Ajibade and Sheila Guijarro
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Elene Lete, Alejandra Bernabé, Ana Tejada, Ane Etxezarreta, Emma Ramírez, Lorena Navarro, Andreia Jacinto, Nahia Aparicio, Synne Jensen, Sanni Franssi and Nerea Eizagirre
Goals 0-1 min. 64: Amaiur Sarriegi. 1-1 min. 90: Gaby García.
Referee Paola Cebollada López
Yellow cards Lorena Navarro (min. 48), Rasheedat Ajibade (min. 50), Cinta Rodríguez (min. 61) and Emma Ramírez (min. 62)
The red and whites were looking for that balm in the Cup that they have found in other seasons full of ups and downs, like this one. Qualifying for the Champions League has been complicated after a February in which they faced their direct rivals (Levante, Madrid CFF, Real Madrid and Barcelona) and did not beat any of them. The cup tournament had been the competition in which they had offered their best version so far, such as in the quarterfinal derby against Madrid. In this way, Manolo Cano’s team did not take long to take control of the match, although they had a hard time getting around Real’s defense. After half an hour, the clearest chances came, but then those responsible for Atlético’s failure to score until the last moment appeared: Elene Lete, recent Nations League champion with Spain, and the crossbar. The goalkeeper, among other great saves, saved a penalty from Sheila Guijarro, and the red and white team hit the crossbar with three shots.
At the beginning of the second half, the red and white superiority was still clear. Manolo Cano shook up his team with the entry of the recovered Leicy Santos, absent for the last month and a half due to a muscle injury. But in football, dominating is not always synonymous with winning. On the first occasion in which the Real players were able to raise their heads with the field ahead, they mounted a dizzying counterattack that ended with Amaiur in the area. The forward, who had been on the field for nine minutes, cold-bloodedly cut into the defense to define with Lola Gallardo’s short post.
The red and white team staggered and suffered to get back into the game. For the first time, La Real enjoyed extended possessions and frequently stepped into the opponent’s area, although far from scoring the second goal. But when everything seemed doomed, Gaby García rose to chase a hanging ball into the area and finish off the top corner to make it 1-1 in the 90th minute. The Venezuelan midfielder did justice after the numerous missed chances, although the result is not even close. what they wanted. Now they will have to go to San Sebastián needing victory to reach what would be their fifth Copa de la Reina final in five years, the second in a row. La Real, for its part, is motivated to seek its first cup final in front of its fans since 2019, when they won their only title precisely against the red and whites.
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