MADRID, Feb 12: In its first Copa del Rey semifinal in 86 years, Levante held host Athletic Bilbao to a 1-1 draw in the first leg on Thursday.
The teams will meet again for the second leg next month, with Levante trying to make it to the final for the first time and Athletic aiming to get there twice in a row.
Last season’s Copa final between Athletic and Basque Country rival Real Sociedad has yet to be played as it was postponed until April because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Athletic entered this year’s semifinals as the favorite against Levante, having already won the Spanish Super Cup in a final against Barcelona after defeating Real Madrid in the semis.
However, it was Levante that opened the scoring with a 26th-minute goal by Gonzalo Melero.
Iñaki Martínez equalized with a header off a corner kick in the 58th. (AP)
