The Sestao River secured its passage to the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night by defeating the Terrassa 4-1 at Las Llanas in the quarterfinals of the Copa Federación. The victory guarantees the Basque club a matchup against a top-division La Liga opponent in the main national tournament, alongside 48,000 euros in total financial prizes from the current cup run.
Las Llanas Stages a Four-Goal Second Half
Playing before 2,463 spectators on a rain-soaked pitch in Sestao, the hosts overcame an early deadlock to dominate the final 45 minutes. Gonzalo Zorrilla opened the scoring for the home side in the 12th minute, reacting quickly to a loose ball inside the penalty area. The Terrassa responded in the 26th minute when Albert Celma leveled the score at 1-1 following an assist from Nahuel Arroyo. Referee David Ruiz booked local defenders Ugarte and Adri Carrión during a competitive first half that left both sides level at the interval.
The match turned decisively in the second half as the team directed by Héctor Urquía scored three times in an 11-minute span. Adri Carrión put the Sestao River back in front in the 58th minute before an own goal by Aser Palacios in the 60th minute extended the lead to 3-1. Ander Castillo capped the scoring in the 69th minute to seal the 4-1 victory. Pau Miguélez played a central role in orchestrating the attacking sequence during the decisive second-half surge.
Financial Relief and the Road to the Copa del Rey
Reaching the semifinals of the Copa Federación guarantees the Sestao River a spot in the Copa del Rey first round, injecting much-needed revenue into the club’s accounts following a difficult 2023–24 campaign. The club finished seventh in its league group last season, missing promotion playoffs and recording a 43,000-euro financial deficit. The cup run provides an immediate 13,000 euros for reaching the Copa Federación semifinals and 35,000 euros for entering the Copa del Rey, figures that will expand further through ticket sales when a La Liga side visits Las Llanas.
The journey to the quarterfinals tested the club’s resources. In the round of 32, the team flew to face the CF Badalona to avoid a seven-hour bus journey, advancing past that opponent on penalty kicks before defeating the Comillas de Logroño 2-1 away from home. Wednesday’s fixture, declared a half-club day by the board, brought in substantial gate receipts from adult ticket sales priced between five and seven euros.
Monday Draw and Regional Opposition
The Sestao River will discover its first-round Copa del Rey opponent during Monday’s draw, which begins at 13:00 local time. Under tournament regulations for the opening round, lower-division clubs are paired with top-flight teams based on geographic proximity. The four participants in the Spanish Supercopa—Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, and Real Sociedad—are excluded from this stage of the draw.
Other Basque clubs including the Athletic Club, SD Amorebieta, Barakaldo CF, and Club Portugalete will join the Sestao River in the draw. Meanwhile, the Copa Federación bracket continues with the remaining quarterfinal fixtures, where the Recreativo de Huelva defeated the Conil 2-1 and the CD Navalcarnero overcame the Real Murcia 3-1 to claim their respective semifinal berths and national cup places.
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