Copa del Rey and another David and Goliath final: Osasuna look for their first major title in 103-year history against the all-powerful Real Madrid

The end of King’s Cup taking place this Saturday from 5pm (DTVSports) at the La Cartuja Stadium in Seville will be, for real Madrid, an obligation and the possibility of achieving his great goal these days: the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City. Instead, for Osasunahis rival, this match represents a chance to get his first major title in his 103-year life.

It has been almost 18 years since 11 June 2005, when a Dani goal in extra time sealed Osasuna’s 2-1 defeat in their first cup final. That night, about 20,000 fans redling they were in the Vicente Calderón of Madrid, including the current captain David Garciawho was then 11 years old. “Imagine how excited I am to be here and play this final so many years later”said the defender on the eve of the most important match of his career, as he defined it.

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After that painful defeat, the history of the Navarrese team has added flattering chapters, such as having played for the first time in the preliminary phase of the Champions League in 2006 and having reached a semifinal of the old UEFA Cup in 2007, and other much harsher ones too, such as a relegation and a complicated financial situation that put the club on the ropes in the middle of the last decade.

The big breakthrough came in May 2017, when we began to weave a project that is now showing its sweetest fruits. The crucial moment was the recruitment of Braulio Vasquez as sports director, who was the one who chose, in July 2018, the other fundamental piece of the walk: the coach Jagoba Arrasate. In the first season of the team under the command of the DT born in Berriatúa, Osasuna achieved promotion and have since established themselves in the honor division: He didn’t experience shocks to stay in the next three seasons and he won’t experience them in this one either (March 10).

Anyway, this path was not without thorns. In January 2021, the team had gone 12 games without a win and were second bottom in the league. The thread was expected to cut where it usually is in these situations, but Braulio Vázquez backed up the manager he had trusted two and a half years earlier.

“The ship will come to port or not, but with the same captain. If we sink, we’ll all go, if not, we’ll all get there. We trust them to death and we all go together. There are 60 points to go and in the end we have to live for what Osasuna has historically done, which is to save the category.”assured Vázquez in a press conference recovered until exhaustion in early April, when the Navarrese team got the ticket for this Saturday’s decisive match.

The road to this final was roller coaster of emotions for the people of Pamplona, who had to play four extensions (and two penalties) in the previous four rounds: against Gimnàstic de Tarragona, Betis, Sevilla and Athletic Club de Bilbao. Now, and with the support of over 22,000 fans at the stadium, they will have to do their best to beat a giant. “We have all the optimism and the conviction of the team is maximum. We are from Navarre: we are not afraid of anything”rehired captain David García.

Cautious, but excited, Jagoba Arrasate, the creator of the dream, also showed himself. “We have to make Madrid uncomfortable because if we give them space, the possibilities are reduced. Our strength is in the group: we need a choral defense and in attack we need audacity, sparkle”, explained the coach. And he added: “Even the finals have their names and we hope they are those of Osasuna”.

The Chimy Ávila, the symbol of Argentina

One of those names could be that of Ezequiel chimy Ávila, a man who has been defending the red jacket for four years. In this period, the man from Rosario won the affection of the Navarrese public with goals and was the protagonist of the 2019 promotion, but he also had to deal with two ligament tears, one on each knee (in January 2020 at left and in September of the same year, right).

The former San Lorenzo striker overcame those two knocks, came back, continued to score and was even placed in a Spain international squad by manager Luis De la Fuente in March this year for two games against Norway and Scotland (in the end it has no juice). Now he will have the chance to win his first big title on European soil.

To do so, he and his teammates will have to defeat an opponent with much more experience in these matches: Real Madrid will play in their 40th Copa del Rey final. Of the previous 39, 19 have emerged victorious (they are third in the list of top winners behind Barcelona -31- and Athletic Bilbao -23-). The latest was on 16 April 2014, when they beat Barça 2-1 in Valencia. Carlo Ancelotti was in the bank that day. Nine years later, the Italian will be looking for his tenth title with the Meringue.

“Playing in a final is always exciting. We are focused on tomorrow’s match which can close a beautiful circle by winning everything that was possible at club level in two seasons,” said the coach on Friday, who in recent days has had to hear criticism for the performance of his equipment.

Although Real have already won the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup this season, the team has disappointed in the Spanish league (they are third, 14 points behind Barcelona) and have already suffered 10 defeats this season (8 in 2023). unusual amount for a giant of this size.

The Copa del Rey will offer Madrileños the chance to add another trophy and to its emblem, Karim Benzema, the chance to equal a record: if his team wins on Saturday, they will overtake the Brazilian Marcelo as the player with the most titles in their 121-year history of the Juventus club (25). The French striker made a good contribution to take his team to the decisive phase, with four essential goals: the one scored in extra time in the quarter-final against Atlético de Madrid and the three scored in the rematch against Barcelona in one of the semi-finals.

Beyond what happens this Saturday in La Cartuja, the main objective that remains for Real Madrid is the Champions League. In the continental competition, their luck will begin to play just 72 hours after the game against Osasuna: on Tuesday they will host Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabéu in the first leg of one of the semi-finals.