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Real Sociedad’s Pablo Marin, right, celebrates with teammates as they won the Copa del Rey final soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April. 18, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jose Breton\/AP<\/p>\n
Real Sociedad’s goalkeeper Unai Marrero makes a save during during the penalty shoot out at the Copa del Rey final soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April. 18, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jose Breton\/AP<\/p>\n
Real Sociedad’s head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, right, celebrates with Duje Caleta-Car after winning the Copa del Rey final soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April. 18, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jose Breton\/AP<\/p>\n
Atletico Madrid’s goalkeeper Juan Musso makes a save during during the penalty shoot out at the Copa del Rey final soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April. 18, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jose Breton\/AP<\/p>\n
Atletico Madrid’s head coach Diego Simeone reacts during the Copa del Rey final soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April. 18, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jose Breton\/AP<\/p>\n
SEVILLE, Spain (AP) \u2014 Real Sociedad beat Atletico Madrid on penalties to win the Copa del Rey title on Saturday, giving American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo his first title since he moved to Spain this season.<\/p>\n
After the game finished 2-2 following extra time, Sociedad goalkeeper Unai Marrero saved shots by Alexander Sorloth and Juli\u00e1n \u00c1lvarez and Pablo Mar\u00edn converted the last kick to clinch the shootout 4-3.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew that if we got to penalties, I believed in myself, my teammates believed in me, our fans believed in me,\u201d the 24-year-old Marrero said before the winners received the trophy and medals from Spanish King Felipe VI.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI still can\u2019t believe it,” Marrero said. \u201cThe boy who dreamed for this since he was young has fulfilled his dream.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sociedad needed 14 seconds and just three players to touch the ball directly after kickoff to take the lead through Ander Barrenetxea.<\/p>\n
Ademola Lookman equalized for Diego Simeone\u2019s side with a goal in the 19th minute, but a penalty by goalkeeper Juan Musso allowed Mikel Oyarzabal to restore Sociedad\u2019s advantage in first-half injury time.<\/p>\n
\u00c1lvarez stroked a shot into the right corner to make it 2-2 in the 83rd.<\/p>\n
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The New Jersey-born Matarazzo took over Sociedad in December when it was two points above the relegation zone in the Spanish league. Four months later, the Basque Country club has won the cup and is in the upper half of the La Liga table.<\/p>\n
Opta Statistics said Barrenetxea\u2019s goal was the fastest ever in a Spanish cup final.<\/p>\n
The opening goal against Atletico\u2019s vaunted defense was about as simple as they come: ball to goalkeeper, long ball down the right flank, where Gon\u00e7alo Guedes was free to send in a cross for Ander Barrenetxea to head it home.<\/p>\n
The sequence exposed a series of less-than-ideal defending. Neither Nahuel Molina nor Giuliano Simeone intercepted reachable balls; Matteo Ruggeri let the shorter Barrenetxea outjump him for the header; and goalkeeper Juan Musso perhaps could have made a more sprightly effort to stop the shot from bouncing past.<\/p>\n
Lookman again proved the most-impactful winter signing by a Spanish side \u2013 his goal was his seventh for Atletico \u2013 when the former Atalanta forward received a pass from Antoine Griezmann just inside the area and sent a left-footed shot inside the post.<\/p>\n
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Oyarzabal went to the spot after Musso slammed into Guedes while disputing a high ball in the box. Oyarzabal lived up to his reputation as a penalty expert, slotting his try home. The Spain striker also scored a penalty for the only goal in the 2020 cup final against Athletic Bilbao.<\/p>\n
Sociedad was in control and only minutes away from the title when Atletico finally mounted a good team move to unsettle Sociedad\u2019s defense for the first time and set up \u00c1lvarez in the second half.<\/p>\n
Musso made up for his earlier mistakes by making back-to-back saves in extra time. And \u00c1lvarez went close to netting a winner when he hit the woodwork in the 100th.<\/p>\n
Otherwise, Atletico created several chances it couldn\u2019t finish off to get the title-clinching goal.<\/p>\n
Then it was Marrero\u2019s turn to shine as he guessed right on the first two penalties by Atletico\u2019s strikers.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe team did all it could to turn this around, we were behind right from the start and did what we could,\u201d Atletico\u2019s veteran midfielder Koke Resurrecci\u00f3n said. \u201cIt is a difficult night. Thanks to all our fans who traveled with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Griezmann will now need to help steer Atletico past Arsenal in the European semifinals to have another shot at finishing his final season in Spain with a title before the club\u2019s all-time leading scorer joins Orlando City in the MLS next season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to win the Champions League,\u201d Koke said. \u201cBut tonight is a hard night. We will have time to think about the Champions League.\u201d<\/p>\n
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