 Athletic Bilbao, champion | |||||||
| Event | 1903 Copa del Rey | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 8 April 1903 | ||||||
| Venue | Hipódromo,Madrid | ||||||
| Referee | José María Soler | ||||||
←1902 1904 → | |||||||
The1903 Copa del Rey Final was the first final of theCopa del Rey, the Spanishfootball cup competition. The match took place on 8 April 1903 at theHipódromo,Madrid. The match was contested byAthletic Bilbao andMadrid FC.[1]
Madrid FC scored twice in the first half to lead the match 0–2 down at the break. However, a crucial harangue at the break by the Athletic Bilbaocaptain and presidentJuan Astorquia, inspired Athletic to pull off an epic comeback in the second half that turned the game around, thus lifting the trophy for the first time with a 3–2 victory.[2][3][4] Athletic Bilbao claims this trophy to be their second in a row, although theRoyal Spanish Football Federation does not recognize theprevious tournament as official. Six Athletic players who played in this final had been proclaimed champions of the Coronation Cup in the previous year withClub Bizcaya.[5][6]
This match has been identified as a catalyst for the establishment a few weeks later of what would eventually becomeClub Atlético de Madrid, after some Madrid-based Basque students among the spectators were inspired by the comeback victory by Athletic Bilbao and decided to form a local branch of the club.[7]
Just like the previous year, in the1902 Copa de la Coronación, Athletic Club arrived at the decisive match at the Madrid Hippodrome without time to rest, unlike their rival.[3] In addition to playing in enemy territory and having greater fatigue, the drawing of fields benefited Madrid since the Bilbao team had to play the first half with a strong headwind.[3] The Madrid team, playing in front of 5,000 expectant spectators, took advantage of the circumstance and converted it into a 2–0 lead at the break with goals fromMiguel de Valdeterrazo opening the scoring in the 15th minute, whileAntonio Neyra doubled their advantage in the 40th minute.[3][8]
Madrid FC decided to go defensive in the second half, feeling they could hold a 2–0 lead against a demoralized Athletic Bilbao team, but instead, they found an Athletic side even more driven than before, largely thanks to a crucial harangue at the break by their captain and president Juan Astorquia.[3] Since the figure ofcoach as we know it today did not exist at the time, Astorquia felt obliged to take a step forward and gathered the players around him in the Biscayan locker room to give them a harangue.[3] Its exact content is unknown since his words or screams were not recorded, but according to the chroniclers of the time it ended with a war cry:Por el Athletic y por Bilbao ("For Athletic and for Bilbao").[3][4] With two goals in two matches, he was the tournament's joint-top scorer alongside teammate de la Sota and Madrid'sArmando Giralt.[9]
Madrid was able to resist Athletic's relentless siege for only 10 minutes, as the Basque club found a goal whenRaymond Cazeaux scored in the 55th minute.[3] The Athletic attack kept colliding again and again with the Madrid defense, and despite some fine saves fromgoalkeeperArthur Johnson, and great defensive work from the Giralt brothers (Mario,Armando andJosé), the people fromBilbao managed to find the equalizer with 20 minutes to go thanks toEduardo Montejo.[3] Athletic did not let go of the siege and pressed for a winner, which they found in the 80th minute whenWalter Evans, Athletic's left winger, perhaps its most talented footballer, made a "beautiful play" to assistAlejandro de la Sota, who came in from behind, attentive to the Englishman's antics, and he received a ball so perfect that he only had to push it into the net with his chest.[3] "I scored it with my heart," he said years later, remembering that historic goal that sent the people from Bilbao into euphoria.[3] The result remained unchanged until the final whistle, and Athletic Bilbao was proclaimed as the first official champion of Spain.[1][2][3]
| Athletic Bilbao | 3–2 | Madrid FC |
|---|---|---|
Cazeaux 55'Montejo 70'De la Sota 80' | Report 1 Report 2 | De Valdeterrazo 15' Neyra 40' |
         Athletic Bilbao |   Madrid FC
|
