The end of a ten year tradition

The new Copa del Rey has completely changed Spanish football. There have been shocks in every round which have left people stunned and the quarter-final results were the most surprising of all. 

None of the four favourites to reach the semis made it. Granada, Mirandes, Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao are those who have made it.  Valencia, Villarreal, Real Madrid and Barcelona have been knocked out. But the headline news is that the two giants of Spanish football are both out. 

You have to go back 10 years to find the last time Barca and Real Madrid both missed out on the semi-finals of the cup competition.  The 2009-10 season which saw Sevilla win was the last time and neither Barca nor Real Madrid made the quarters. 

 

February 7, 2020

That year saw the famous 'Alcorconazo'  That was when Alcorcon, then in Segunda B, comprehensively beat Real Madrid 4-0 in the first leg. In the return, Pellegrini's side won 1-0, but were knocked out 4-1 on aggregate in the last 32 of the competition. 

But things did not go much better for Barcelona. Although they beat Cultural Leonesa 7-0 in the last 32, they got eliminated in the following round.  Sevilla, who would go on to win the competition, stunned the Camp Nou with goals from Capel and Negredo in the first leg. Even though Barca scored through Ibrahimovic in the first leg and Xavi in the second leg at the Camp Nou, Barca were knocked out on away goals. 

This year, Real Sociedad, in a thriller, and Athletic Bilbao, in the last minute, are the two sides to have eliminated them. 

A new Copa del Rey which could see a new team win it. Granada and Mirandes have never won it, Real Sociedad have two titles to their name while Athletic Bilbao have 23.