Inaki Williams scored in extra time on the same day he arrived from Ghana’s early exit in the Africa Cup, leading Athletic Bilbao to a 4-2 victory against Barcelona and a place in the Copa del Rey semifinals.
Williams came off the substitute’s bench at the hour mark on Wednesday, a few days after Ghana’s earlier games in Ivory Coast. In the 107th minute, he scored on a rebound from his own shot into the post. Nico Williams, his younger brother, then secured the game in stoppage time, advancing Athletic to the last four for the seventh consecutive season.
For Barcelona, who was hoping to qualify for the Copa semifinals for the second consecutive year, it was another devastating defeat. Earlier this year, the Catalan club wasted another opportunity to lift a trophy when it fell 4-1 to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.
Teenager Lamine Yamal had a fantastic opportunity to score Barcelona’s winning goal in regulation in the 86th minute, but he dribbled past Athletic goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala and missed the open net from inside the area.
A minute into the match, Gorka Guruzeta scored to give Athletic the lead. The visitors responded, with Robert Lewandowski scoring in the 26th and Yamal in the 32nd, following an excellent run by the 16-year-old striker. Lewandowski’s goal was lucky, as the ball ricocheted off his leg while a defender attempted to clear it from in front of the net. Athletic levelled the game in the 49th minute due to a header from Oihan Sancet.