Ernesto Valverde admitted that his Athletic Bilbao were made to work for their Copa del Rey win over Real Betis.
Los Leones beat the Verdiblancos 2-0 at San Mames last night, overcoming the bottom-of-the-table club 2-1 on aggregate.
But the Coach conceded that the Seville outfit made it complicated for his men.
“We could have done better in the first leg,” he told a Press conference. “And you could see that pressure on the lads tonight.
“Betis tried to defend the lead with their life, and did that to some extent earlier on.
“But in the end we got the two goals, and it could have been more.
“They played with two compact lines and made it complicated for us. But now we play Atletico Madrid and have a 50 per cent chance of winning.”
