Tomorrow's performance in San Mamés between Athletic and Leganés will be a kind of remake of that of May 14, 2017. Penultimate round of the League, with the lions fighting for fifth place and the pepineros to preserve life in First. Unai López and Herrerín, transferred to the Madrid team, they could not act by the clause of their contracts. It was also the farewell to the Bilbao stadium of Iraizoz, who didn't play being Kepa the owner. The continuity of Valverde was in the air. The visitors took a point with the 1-1 and sealed the permanence.
Now things are a bit more complicated for both sets. Those of Javier Aguirre they are much more needy. They arrive in relegation places, they are third by the queue, and the one that precedes them in the classification, Alavés, gets four points in the absence of two days. While those of Garitano they are eighth, three points from the seventh, the Real. The last place given by the continental ticket.
At that meeting in May 2017, the lions came forward with a goal of Aduriz, in the 14th minute, finishing in the small area a shot-center of Balenziaga. The goalkeeper Champagne then deflected a good shot from the rojiblanco striker. Already in the second, part, the goal of Leganés came, with a great pass in Vaseline of Gabriel above the back of Athletic and culmination of Szymanowski head on before the exit of Kepa. Aduriz He had another good chance, but his shot narrowly missed.
With the final whistle, there was an outburst of joy for the Leganés players on the field of play and for their half a thousand followers present in the stands. “All the effort and sacrifice has been worth it,” celebrated his coach, Asier Garitano, who released that “I don't like to celebrate the permanence. We are very happy, but I don't like it, because I think it makes teams smaller. This can be a first step to be bigger. “
Everything remained the same for Athletic in their continental career, with Villarreal fifth, with 64 points, the Atletico team, sixth with 63, the same as Real, seventh. “We continue to depend on ourselves,” he stressed Valverde, recognizing that they had the “most difficult” match of the three. They had to visit Atlético de Madrid, the yellow submarine went to Mestalla and the people from San Sebastián played in Vigo.
Before that last assault, the farewell of Iraizoz, one of the captains, after ten campaigns at Athletic. In the center of the field he was greeting his companions, who kept him. A video with their best stops was projected and received a great ovation from those who still remained in the stands. Microphone in hand, thanked everyone.
In the last game at Calderón, the people of Bilbao fell 3-1 against Atlético de Madrid, with a double of ‘Child’ Torres in a seen and unseen. Athletic finished seventh and out of Europe. A few days later, the departure of Valverde, that gave way to Ziganda on the bench. In the end, thanks to Barça's victory (3-1) over Alavés in the Cup final, the lions obtained a continental ticket that included two previous ones.