Athletic Bilbao reach Copa del Rey final despite loss to Granada

Athletic Bilbao sneaked into the Copa del Rey final at the expense of Granada on away goals after losing 2-1 at the Andalusian side in their semifinal return leg on Thursday.

Athletic, who won the first leg 1-0 in Bilbao last month, seemed headed for a surprise exit after Granada forward Carlos Fernandez struck in the 48th minute and a header from defender German Sanchez doubled their advantage in the 76th.

But Athletic grabbed a crucial away goal through Yuri Berchiche in the 81st minute to level the tie at 2-2 on aggregate, setting up set up an all-Basque showpiece against Real Sociedad on April 18 in Seville (stream live on ESPN+).

The result means Bilbao will be playing in their fourth Copa del Rey final since 2009, with only Barcelona having played more in that span with nine.