Barcelona stunned 0-1 by Athletic Bilbao while Real Madrid are knocked out following 3-4 defeat to Real Sociedad in Copa del Rey quarter-finals.
Barca's Lionel Messi is dejected during the Copa del Rey quarter-final against Bilbao on Thursday. Pic/AFP
Madrid: Barcelona and Real Madrid both crashed out of the Copa del Rey on Thursday night as Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad pulled off a shock Basque double to reach the semi-finals. Barca were beaten 1-0 by Bilbao at San Mames, where Inaki Williams scored a dramatic 93rd-minute winner, after la Real had seen off Madrid 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller at the Santiago Bernabeu. Two sensational upsets added another layer of excitement to a competition that has been full of surprises this season, with Bilbao and Real Sociedad now joining Granada and second division Mirandes.
Turbulent times at Barca
For Barca, defeat was particularly painful, coming at the end of a turbulent week that saw Lionel Messi engage in a spat with the club's sporting director Eric Abidal and Ousmane Dembele ruled out with another hamstring tear. To make matters worse, Gerard Pique hobbled off with injury problem in the second half against Bilbao and now looks doubtful to face Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday. For a rotated Madrid side, who sit top of La Liga, the loss against Real Sociedad was perhaps less damaging, even if they conceded as many goals in 69 minutes as they had in their last 11 matches.
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Real's Vinicius Junior after missing a goal-scoring opportunity
Odegaard haunts Real
Martin Odegaard, on loan at la Real, scored the opener before Alexander Isak hit two to give Real Sociedad a remarkable 3-0 lead. Marcelo and Rodrygo both scored late in the second half and while Mikel Merino added a fourth for the visitors, a Nacho Fernandez header set up a wild final three minutes, in which Andoni Gorosabel was also sent off. Ten-man Real Sociedad held on for a win to progress to the last four while Madrid's run without success in Spain's domestic cup extends to six years.
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