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Alaves secure first-ever King's Cup final appearance with 1-0 win over Celta

Xinhua, February 9, 2017 Adjust font size:

Edgar Mendez's late goal gave Deportivo Alaves their first-ever appearance in the final of the King's Cup competition as they defeated Celta Vigo 1-0 on Wednesday night.

Mendez had only been on the pitch for a few minutes as a replacement for Gaizka Toquero when he was able to burst through the Celta defense to seal a historic moment in Alaves' history.

The side from Vitoria are best known for their 5-4 loss to Liverpool in the 2001 UEFA Cup final, but in their first season back in the top-flight of Spanish football following years in the second and third tiers, they have reached the domestic cup final for the first time in 95 years of club history.

Alaves will face Barcelona in the final, who knocked out Atletico Madrid with a 3-2 aggregate win in the other semi, and fate has decreed that the two sides will meet in Vitoria on Saturday in the Liga Santander.

The fans in Alaves' Mendizorroza Stadium had to endure over six minutes of injury time, but their side were the closest to adding to the score when Sergio Alvarez saw his chance on the break stopped by Sergio Alvarez.

That miss did not matter in the end. The final whistle saw the fans in the 20,000-seat stadium erupt into celebrations for what was a historic moment for the team. Enditem