Bilbao win at Atletico in Copa del Rey semifinal, first leg

Athletic Bilbao beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal at Metropolitano stadium on Wednesday thanks to Alex Berenguer's penalty.

The result ended a 28-match home unbeaten streak for Atletico Madrid that dated back to January of 2023.

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"They [Athletic] took advantage of our mistake with that penalty," Atletico head coach Diego Simeone said after the match. "We didn't have the precision at front that we usually have. We defended well and we played a good game."

The hosts started strongly and created chances for Rodrigo de Paul, Memphis Depay and Antoine Griezmann, but Athletic took the lead from Berenguer's spot-kick following a foul on Benat Prados by defender Reinildo Mandava.

The visitors defended well after the break and the closest Atletico came to an equaliser was when Yeray Alvarez fouled Alvaro Morata but the penalty was ruled out by a VAR review.

In the first leg of the other semi-final, Mallorca and Real Sociedad drew 0-0 on Tuesday.

Atletico, fourth in the LaLiga standings and three points above Athletic in fifth, will try to reach the Copa del Rey final for the first time since 2013 when they visit Athletic in the second leg on Feb. 29.

"We had to suffer but we defended well, especially in the second half," said goalscorer Berenguer. "We knew they were good. It's always hard to play and win here. It's turned out well for us. We hope we can get finish it off at home."