Madrid, April 21 (IANS) Real Sociedad coach Pellegrino Matarazzo has become a popular figure in San Sebastian after leading the club to the fourth Copa del Rey title in its history with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out win over Atletico Madrid following a 2-2 draw after 120 minutes on Saturday night.

The former Hoffenheim and Stuttgart coach became the first American to win a major trophy in Spain. Speaking to Spanish radio station Cadena Ser in the early hours of Tuesday morning, Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay admitted that if he had followed artificial intelligence, Matarazzo would never have arrived.

Aperribay explained that the idea to appoint the American coach came from Real Sociedad sporting director Erik Bretos, reports Xinhua.

“Erik told me Matarazzo, but when I asked Artificial Intelligence if he was a good coach for Real Sociedad, the AI said no… Thank goodness I trusted Erik,” Aperribay said.

In addition to winning the Copa del Rey for the first time since 2021, Matarazzo’s first months in charge have seen Real Sociedad move from a relegation battle into the Europa League places, with a chance of finishing fifth in La Liga.

Aperribay said that after Real Sociedad beat local rival Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey semifinal, he consulted the AI again. “This time it told me he was excellent,” he laughed.

On Monday, the Real Sociedad squad shared the title with supporters during an open-top bus parade through the streets of San Sebastian, ending with a presentation of the Copa del Rey trophy to tens of thousands of fans in front of City Hall.

Real Sociedad defeated Atletico Madrid on penalties to seal a fourth Copa del Rey triumph. Sociedad finally ‌won the Cup in 2021, when the delayed 2020 final was also ‌played at the La Cartuja stadium in ‌Seville.

As the game agonised to its conclusion, everything came down to a penalty shootout. And there, once again, Marrero was the hero, saving the first two Atletico penalties decisively. The winning goal was scored by Marin.

–IANS

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