The 'lions' closed their 125th anniversary with a great victory (2-0)
MADRID, 16 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atlético de Madrid lost 2-0 this Saturday on their visit to Athletic Club, which celebrated the closing of its 125th anniversary with a great victory, in a match corresponding to matchday 17 of LaLiga EA Sports and which showed a horrible version of the colchoneros on the Bilbao grass.
At the San Mamés Stadium, after the kick-off taken by Biscayan golfer Jon Rahm wearing a black José Ángel Iribar t-shirt, the locals got off to a flying start. The first, and very clear, chance was a right-footed shot from Gorka Guruzeta from below when he was in the 5th minute and which Jan Oblak, masterfully, repelled to the side.
Another warning came in the 8th minute, with a shot by Ander Herrera from the top of the area that once again tested the reflexes of the Slovenian goalkeeper. In the 12th minute, following a mistake by Axel Witsel in releasing the ball, Iñaki Williams touched the goal with a low shot that hit the post.
The team coached by Diego Pablo Simeone was groggy, unable to stop the rival or connect with its starting forwards, Álvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann. 'The Little Prince' didn't appear until the quarter-hour mark, with a long left-footed shot from a free-kick that Unai Simón couldn't catch, although one of his teammates quickly cleared it.
Oihan Sancet added to the offensive courage of the 'lions' in the 19th minute, with a right-footed shot in a good gesture with his ankle. Oblak stopped, who was barely able to cope, as three minutes later he prevented Nico Williams' right hand from becoming a goal with his chest.
The Colchonero team only attacked once more in the first half, when Griezmann hit a left-footed shot in a counterattack after half an hour, but which Unai Simón saved without problems. From that moment until the break, Athletic gave their opponent a 'bath', although without scoring.
In the 35th minute, Iñaki Williams filtered a long pass on the right wing to his brother Nico and he went into the mattress area; There he cut the Turkish center back Caglar Söyüncü, who was making his debut under 'Cholo' Simeone and who blocked Athletic's '11'. Referee Jesús Gil Manzano declared a penalty without hesitation, but Sancet wasted it.
When trying to adjust his shot to the top corner, Sancet sent the ball into the stands. However, San Mamés responded with encouraging applause to his midfielder, who came close to correcting his mistake thanks to a good shot on the last chance of the first half. Just before, Saúl Ñíguez had blocked another dangerous shot by Iñaki Williams.
In those final moments before going to the locker room, the little Williams had also made it 1-0 with a right foot against the post after a magnificent reverse inside the area. That play showed the horrible defense of an Atlético that miraculously went into the intermission with 0-0.
UNUSEABLE CHANGES OF THE 'CHOLO'
Simeone involuntarily pointed out Nahuel Molina and Söyüncü with his substitutions, with Josema Giménez and Rodrigo de Paul entering the field. But the 'damn' continued and it was evident when they conceded the first goal. On a corner that went nowhere, Iñaki Williams rescued the ball on the opposite side and passed it back to Ander Herrera, who crossed to the far post.
That ball, sweet and with just the right force, flew over the heads of six Atlético players and Guruzeta pushed the net with his right boot, in the face of Oblak's passivity. He then broke the visitors' wall, which until that moment had resisted due to the usual skill of their goalkeeper. But not even the Slovenian could avoid making it 2-0, a great goal from Nico Williams, in the 64th minute.
Iñigo Lekue assisted long and low on the right side to the number 11 of the 'lions', who controlled and edged in while two rivals overtook him. Witsel and Hermoso left him space, which Nico took advantage of with a tremendous left foot shot that beat Oblak from above, lodging the ball near the top corner.
Simeone then removed an inoperative Morata, along with his entire team, and introduced César Azpilicueta to warn of his surrender. From the opposite bench, Ernesto Valverde has not yet signed the armistice and his pupils were looking for the third. In the 67th minute, Iñaki Williams put Oblak in trouble with a left-footed shot, deflected by the goalkeeper for a corner kick.
The revolutions of the game dropped after a short-lived injury to Yuri Berchiche and the first change made by Valverde, giving confidence to Mikel Vesga. And that caused a certain relaxation, taken advantage of by the Madrid team to attack something. First it was with a cross-shot by Marcos Llorente from the right and then with a left-footed shot by Samu Lino into the side of the net.
Llorente himself had a chance to score in the 83rd minute, thanks to a low left foot shot after a pass from Azpilicueta; However, Unai Simón thwarted that action and calmed down Athletic with its homework done. Their victory put the Bilbao team with 32 points, sitting in fifth place in the league; Meanwhile, Atlético remained with 34 points (and one game less).
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: ATHLETIC CLUB, 2 – ATLÉTICO DE MADRID, 0 (0-0, at halftime).
–ALIGNMENTS.
ATHLETIC CLUB: Unai Simón; Lekue, Vivian, Paredes, Yuri; Ander Herrera, Prados (Vesga, min. 77); I.Williams (Jauregizar, min.85), Sancet (Unai Gómez, min.85), N.Williams (Berenguer, min.90); y Cross.
ATLÉTICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Molina (De Paul, min.46), Söyüncü (Giménez, min.46), Witsel, Hermoso, Lino; Llorente, Koke, Saúl (Memphis, min.60); Griezmann (Correa, min.59) and Morata (Azpilicueta, min.67).
–GOALS.
1-0, min.51: Guruzeta.
2-0, min.64: N.Williams.
–REFEREE: Gil Manzano (C. Extremeño). He cautioned De Paul with a yellow card (min.49) at Atlético de Madrid.
–STADIUM: San Mamés, 48,781 spectators.
–INCIDENTS: Spanish golfer Jon Rahm, number 3 in the world ranking, took the honor kick before the match.