Athletic held by Valencia in 1st leg of Copa semifinals
By TALES AZZONI
AP Sports Writer
MADRID (AP) — Athletic Bilbao was held to a 1-1 draw at home against Valencia in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. The Basque Country club is trying to reach its third straight Copa final after losses to Real Sociedad in 2020 and to Barcelona last season. Raúl García opened the scoring for the hosts with a header off a free kick by Iker Muniain in the 37th minute. Valencia equalized in the 65th with a goal from close range by Hugo Duro off the rebound of a shot by Bryan Gil. The second leg will be on March 2 at Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium.