Athletic beats Levante, will play in consecutive Copa finals

<p>MADRID &mdash; Athletic Bilbao will have a chance to win two Copa del Rey titles in a two-week span next month. </p>
<p>The Basque Country club reached this season’s final on Thursday by defeating Levante 2-1 in extra time, setting up an April 17 final against Barcelona, which advanced past Sevilla on Wednesday.</p>
<p>First, on April 3, Athletic will face Basque rival Real Sociedad in last season’s final, which was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.</p>
<p>Álex Berenguer scored the winner seven minutes into the second half of extra time to eliminate Levante, which was trying to reach its first Copa final. The teams drew 1-1 in regulation, repeating the score from the first leg in Bilbao.</p>
<p>This season’s final will feature the two most successful Copa clubs. Barcelona is looking for a record 31st title, while Athletic will try to lift the trophy for the 24th time. </p>
<p>Athletic beat Barcelona in the 2015 final for its last Copa title. Barcelona won the tournament for the last time in 2018.</p>
<p>Levante had not reached the semifinals since 1935.</p>
<p>Both teams missed chances to score a winner in regulation, and Berenguer decided the game with a shot from outside the area that deflected off a defender and hit the post before going into the net.</p>
<p>Roger Martí had put the hosts ahead with a goal from close range in the 17th, and Athletic equalized with a penalty converted by Raúl García in the 30th.</p>
<p>The teams also met in Valencia last weekend in the Spanish league, drawing 1-1. </p>
<p>Athletic hasn’t lost in its last six matches in all competitions, but earned only one other victory during that streak — at Cádiz in the Spanish league. The other four matches had also ended in 1-1 draws.</p>
<p>Levante won a 1937 tournament that replaced the Copa del Rey during the Civil War, but the Spanish soccer federation doesn’t recognize it as a Copa title.</p>
<hr />
<p>More AP soccer: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/soccer">https://apnews.com/hub/soccer</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a></p>
<hr />
<p>Tales Azzoni on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/tazzoni">http://twitter.com/tazzoni</a></p>