Ernesto Valverde rued an under-par performance from Athletic Bilbao as they suffered a 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.

La Real had previously taken a 1-0 lead in the first leg at San Mames in February through Benat Turrientes' second-half strike. 

Pellegrino Matarazzo's side sealed a 2-0 aggregate win as Mikel Oyarzabal slotted home a controversial penalty in the 87th minute, after a VAR review for a shirt pull on Yangel Herrera by Athletic midfielder Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta. 

La Real will meet Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey final following Los Colchoneros' nervy 4-3 aggregate win over Barcelona. 

Reflecting on his side's performance and their elimination, Valverde said: "It's true that we lacked scoring opportunities; they defended solidly and well. We lacked attacking play. 

"We didn't create too many chances. It's not the first semi-final I've lost." 

The Athletic boss added that he felt surprised at the late penalty call, believing that it "came out of nowhere." 

"The dressing room is a bit frustrated when you don't reach a final; Real Sociedad are the ones celebrating," he said.

"When the scoreline was 0-0, I thought we could push but then the penalty came, and that was it. 

"I didn't know what was happening. The fourth official told me it was a possible penalty in our area. It was a penalty... which can happen on any corner. Nobody saw it, and then the VAR official spotted it. A penalty came out of nowhere."

But Valverde acknowledged that Real Sociedad were the better side, adding: "They played a better tie than Athletic. They came closer to winning at San Mames and here, although on points… they were just a little closer to keeping the game alive." 

La Real midfielder Carlos Soler, meanwhile, was elated at the prospect of the club playing their first cup final in 38 years in front of fans, having last done so in 1988 when they lost to Barcelona. 

Real Sociedad won the 2019-20 Copa del Rey, beating Athletic in the final, but it was played behind closed doors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We play first to enjoy, have a good time and let off steam about our day-to-day," Soler said.  

"We have an exceptional group, although we didn't start well but we are fixing it. I've lived through two finals with Valencia and I have beautiful memories of both, the pre-final, the match and the post-final. 

"We came from the first leg with an advantage and this match we had in mind to control it from the beginning and by trying to defend the result we went through to the final. We are close to winning a title. It's not going to be easy because we know how Atleti compete."