Alavés secure a place in their first ever Copa del Rey final
'El Glorioso' make history
Alavés made history last night as the side from Vitoria secured a berth in the Copa del Rey final for the first time in the club's 96 years. A fitting reward for a team playing excellent football at present and a recompense for a club that is extremely well run and has managed to bounce back after years in the wilderness of 2B. They overcame a Celta side who seemed passive in their quest of an away goal and only threw everything in attack when the home side went ahead through Edgar. Berizzo's Celta team are a competent side but lacked passion at Mendizorroza last night whilst the home side buoyed on by fantastic support had that spark of desire and that was ultimately key in securing the win as throughout the match Alavés created the better chances and Edgar's late goal was just a reward.
Passion
Alavés have already shown what they are capable of this season when back in September they secured a win at Camp Nou. This campaign their style of play has been attractive with Camarasa at the heartbeat of the Basque side complimented by two of the brightest emerging talents in Spanish football in Marcos Llorente and Theo. The rest of the team are all accomplished players and last night keeper Pacheco kept his side in the tie with an excellent save which denied Aspas in the first half. Manuel Pellegrino is doing a sterling job at the club and the final is a fitting recompense for his work. Vitoria enjoyed a UEFA cup final against Liverpool in 2001 and once again the Basque capital will be brimming in anticipation ahead of the May 27 final.
Groundhog Day regarding final venue
The LaLiga fixture list this weekend curiously sees Barça visit Mendizorroza which is a preview of the May final and on Sunday both losing semi-finalists Atlético and Celta face each other at the Calderon. Last night as Alaves celebrated, their fans chanted “¡Sí, sí, sí, nos vamos a Madrid!” (Yes, yes , yes, we're on our way to Madrid) a reference to the final being staged at the Santiago Bernabeu or the Calderon whilst club president opted for San Mamés in Bilbao. So where will the final be held? Real Madrid announced that their ground would undergo repair work come the end of the season at a recent assembly meeting which would point to Calderón. As the stadium by the Manzanares closes it's doors to football a Barça-Alavés Copa del Rey final would be a fitting way to bring the curtain down after 50 years.
