SOCCER: Real Sociedad edge Athletic 1-0 in Copa del Rey semi-final first leg

BILBAO, Spain – Real Sociedad took control of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie with a 1-0 first-leg victory over Athletic Bilbao, thanks to a second-half strike by Benat Turrientes in the Basque derby on Wednesday.

The first half was tightly contested, but Sociedad showed more composure and are in a strong position ahead of the return leg at San Sebastian's Anoeta Stadium on March 4.

La Real, unbeaten in 10 matches since Pellegrino Matarazzo became coach in mid-December, created several chances early. Athletic’s second-choice goalkeeper Alex Padilla, standing in for Unai Simon, made key saves to keep his team in the game. Padilla denied Pablo Marin from close range in the 25th minute and then stopped Jon Martin after a precise free kick from Carlos Soler six minutes later. Mikel Oyarzabal also went close for Sociedad, while a last-ditch sliding tackle stopped Inaki Williams from scoring on a counter-attack before halftime.

Padilla continued his heroics after the break, making a one-handed save on Oyarzabal’s low strike within a minute of the restart. From the rebound, Marin hit the post. Athletic introduced Nico Williams in the 55th minute, but the Spain forward, still recovering from a groin injury, struggled to make an impact.

The breakthrough came in the 62nd minute when Athletic’s defense was caught playing out from the back. Carlos Soler intercepted the ball for Sociedad and set up Goncalo Guedes, whose chip over Padilla fell perfectly for Turrientes to score into an empty net.

“We’re happy, but there’s still the second leg to play. It’s a good result, but we should have scored more,” Turrientes told Movistar Plus.

The winner of the tie will face either Atletico Madrid or Barcelona, who meet in Madrid on Thursday, with the second leg scheduled for March 3 at Camp Nou.

-Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Ken Ferris/Reuters