Deportivo 1-Athletic Club 1: They deserved a lot more

Anyone would have signed before initiating the travel week, or at least it did not seem such a bad balance, to draw in Valencia, to go on to the semi-finals and to draw at the Deportivo de A Coruña ground. Once the week was finished and with our minds set on what we hope would be one of the few weeks with an ‘intermediate rest’, the balance is bittersweet, to not say bitter. What is certain is that in Valencia the three points could not have been, given the final effort of a rival who squeezed pretty well and even caressed the victory.

In A Coruña, unfortunately, this has not happened although the result has been the same. The home team, on this occasion those lead by Irureta, have given their all to try to equalize and even win the fight, but there have been external factors, one could even say extra-sporting, that have decided the character of the match, or that in the end this was not better for the interests of our team.

But since what happened is susceptible to be watched with optimism and before going into what the match has been like, we can clearly set some conclusions:

– The team shows strength, independently of who makes up the alignment. Given the festival of cards, after a match that was not that bad in Riazor, Orbaiz and Etxeberria will not be able to play against Betis due to their accumulation of warnings, but at least we have assured the presence of eleven starting players.
– The team already accumulates eight consecutive League matches without losing, which is a good indication. Of them half, that is four, are away from San Mamés.
– Together with the previously said, the team has ended their weak image away from San Mamés and faces the matches with a true strength of character independently of who the rival is on the fixture.

In A Coruña, it has not been an exception. The team has faced the consequences and without any complex have entered the fight to control and take the match. Before the initial interest of Irureta’s players to take the weight of the match, shaped among other actions in a shot to the outside by Scaloni, the rojiblanca reaction has arrived by means of a header from Etxeberria in the minute 15, but stopped well by Munúa. In the heat of balance, Tristán in the minute 27 and two minutes later Luque have gone up around Aranzubia’s goal. By then the festival of cards had opened its doors with different treatment and our players have tried to become lost in thought and take danger to Munúa. Yeste and Etxeberria have been able to do so in a great play in the minute 30, but the shot by the player from Elgoibar has gone high. Tiko has tried it with two free kick modalities, also without maximum success, and Luque has made Aranzubia fly in the minute 42 of play.

It seemed clear that whoever scored first would have serious options to take the match and Orbaiz has given himself the gift of an excellent goal with the left in the minute 51; all this on the day of his birthday. The Deportivo players have tried to respond, in fact Luque has made Aranzubia stretch in the minute 55, but drop by drop, and without truce, questions not so related to merely sports have begun to have their influence; more cards and, in particular, to say the least, debatable decisions.

That is the assignment of the referees, whom we can only ask one thing of them: that they call what they see or in the opposite case they let the players play. This is what has happened in the minute 70 of play, when Etxeberria has lined up Munúa’s goal and the ball has finished in a goal. The assistant referee has decided that he had started offside. Was he? He did not appear to be, but that is why they are there for making decisions in tenths of a second.

With no time for controversy, Andrade has headed the wood in the minute 73; Yeste has had an option in the minute 78 and when it seemed that the rojiblancos had the clearer control of the match, the arguable play of the match has arrived in the minute 85. The struggle between Víctor and Solabarrieta could be a penalty; it could not, who knows? The referee was very close, perfectly situated to see the play. He has not called it, but neither has his assistant. The game has continued and as the seconds passed everything seemed to remain in the nth protest from the stands. Perhaps only Víctor, by his insistence before the assistant referee, seemed to lodge certain hope that the play finish in a penalty and that is exactly what happened as the referee showed very little personality; goal by Tristán in the minute 88.

The goal, in addition to the equalizer, has for some moments awoken the ghosts of an undeserved Coruña comeback. In the end Athletic Club has obtained a draw, but not complete happiness. It is the influence of those external factors.

At least it is worthy to review, on the positive side, the debut of Aritz Solabarrieta as a starting player on the first team line-up. The contribution continues and in Riazor there have been 8 starters originating from Lezama.

On the other hand we cannot avoid, always in the land of coincidence, that Athletic Club has been put under anti-doping controls in the last three League matches. Four consecutive matches, if we consider the Copa encounter in Valladolid. That is called exogenous influence or to be very lucky in the draws. In fact, so far this season alone, the number of controls has already surpassed those of last season.