The Copa de Andalucía closes on Sunday with the same final as last year: Sevilla and Granada, at 19:00 at the Estadio Antonio Toledo Sánchez in Huelva, live on RFAFtv.
Granada won that one 3-2. They are the holders, and of the two they are the side that least resembles itself.
The three who scored in that final have all gone
Thirteen players left the squad that lifted the Cup this summer, among them the three who scored in the final: Lauri Requena, Cristina Postigo and Sonya Keefe.
The coach has gone too. On 24 July the club announced an agreement with Irene Ferreras to terminate her contract for personal reasons, and the job went to Adrián Martín, her assistant since the 2024/25 season.
To cover those thirteen departures, Granada have registered fourteen players — signings, loans and one promotion from the reserves. It is, in practice, a new team defending a title.
And the two semi-final goals came from two of the new ones
Granada beat Sporting de Huelva 2-0 on Wednesday, and both goals came from players who were not at the club in June.
Raquel Gil opened the scoring in the 29th minute. She is 21, from Valencia, and arrived on a free in July after her Alavés contract ran out: she came through the youth ranks at Levante and Valencia, made her top-flight debut for the latter in December 2023 and won the 2024 U-19 European Championship with Spain.
The second, in the 82nd, came from Teresa Mérida. That goal carries more than it looks: the centre-back joined from Levante on 14 July, is from Jerez de la Frontera and had spent four seasons at Sevilla. She scored the goal that sent Granada through, and on Sunday she faces her former club. She turned 24 three days after signing.
Before either goal there was a penalty missed in the 22nd minute, by Bárbara López, who also arrived this summer, on a free from Madrid CFF. She is 20 and from Ayamonte: she plays the final in her own province.
Sevilla come in off six in one night
The other finalist got here by beating Málaga 6-0. Jassina Blom and Fatou each scored twice — one of Blom’s from the spot — Gemma Gili added another and Yoli Peche put through her own net for the remaining one. Sevilla were 4-0 up at half-time.
Málaga had reached that semi-final without conceding once in the tournament, having knocked out Betis.
The tie on two is broken on Sunday
The Copa de Andalucía reaches its eleventh edition with the honours well spread. Sporting de Huelva won the first three and still lead the way with three. Granada, Sevilla and Betis have two apiece. CD Pozoalbense complete the roll of honour with the one they won in 2017/18.
On Sunday, one of the two breaks that tie on two and draws level with Sporting’s three.
And they will do it at the ground of the club with the most Cups, which went out in the semi-finals — its own stadium, named after its own coach, Antonio Toledo.
The format kept the Liga F sides apart, and it showed
The draw is seeded by division: Sevilla and Granada, the two Liga F clubs, went straight into the semi-finals, while Sporting de Huelva, Córdoba, Málaga and Betis had to play an extra round and needed three wins instead of two.
None of the four got past the semi-finals. The final is between the two who started latest.
When it ends there will be less than a fortnight until the Liga F season kicks off on Saturday 29 August.