Atletico Madrid captain Koke did not hide following their Copa del Rey exit at Athletic Club.
Los Rojiblancos made the long trip north aiming to overturn a 1-0 semi final first leg defeat at the Estadio San Mames.
However, despite looking well placed to at least challenge the hosts, Atletico Madrid were overpowered in the Basque Country.
Two first half goals from the Williams brothers, firstly Inaki, before Nico doubled the lead, ended the chance of a fightback.
The in form Gorka Guruzeta added a third after restart to put the hosts into the final for the first time since 2021.
Koke insisted there could be no excuses as his side failed to maintain their hopes of a domestic trophy this season.
“It’s a hard night, we weren’t at the level we needed to be. At home we had opportunities to win, but we didn’t. We came here, we tried, but it wasn’t to be”, as per quotes from Mundo Deportivo.
“I apologise to the fans who came up here, and to those at home who wanted us to be in a final. We tried, but we were not up to the task.”
Koke insisted Atletico will fight on in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League this season but a league title looks beyond them.
A top four spot looks certain and they face a key task to bounce back from a 1-0 Champions League last 16 first leg loss to Inter Milan.
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