Fallout of Atlético de Madrid in the previous round, Real Sociedad hoped to overcome the Betis obstacle to climb into the last four of the King’s Cup, alongside Rayo Vallecano and FC Valencia. But the winners of the Seville derby in the round of 16 – marked by clashes and a postponement of the match – did not hear it that way. At the Reale Arena in San Sebastián, the visitors shone and outclassed the Basque contingent.
The 4-2-3-1 betico, led by Nabil Fekir and Youssouf Sabaly, took the lead from the 12th minute thanks to Juanmi. 12 times scorers in La Liga, 2 times in the Europa League, the Spanish striker scored his first cup goal this season. He even offered himself a double on the return from the locker room, taking advantage of a service from Alex Moreno (0-2, 57th). On the penalty spot, following a hand fault by Zaldua in his area, Willian José brought the score to 3-0 (83rd), before Aitor Ruibal completed the Andalusian festival at the end of the match (0-4, 87th). Third in La Liga, engaged in the Europa League play-offs, Betis joined the last four of the King’s Cup.
