Betis 0 Athletic Club 0: Make or Break in San Mamés

Athletic Club has taken its first step towards the Copa final, but was not able to break the draw at nil and so the semi-final winner will be determined in San Mamés, in other words: for the 11th of June appointment, any sort of victory is valid for our team. And just as in Ruiz de Lopera, the general public, who will without a doubt fill San Mamés, will also have to do their best to make this dream come true.

Just as unpredictable as football, the luck which our team had a few days ago in Santander was sorely missed, despite having made more of an effort and, above all, more goal scoring opportunities than the host team.

Mental strength was requested from the team in order to face an encounter of this magnitude and to counter the enthusiasm and special preparation that seemed to belong exclusively to the bético side. Our team’s response was remarkable. Right from the start, Athletic Club continuously applied the pressure trying to take the initiative and, right up to the very last moment, Athletic Club had read the match well; for instance, the shot at goal by Etxeberria in the 2nd minute and the uncalled penalty that should have been awarded to Tiko in the 5th minute, despite the locals’ campaign about privileges and referee errors. Betis had serious problems creating dangerous situations and besides a shot at goal by Oliveira in the 12th minute, which was deflected, Lafuente was not intimidated during the entire first half and neither was he during almost the entire second half.

However, the approaches made by the rojiblancos were more dangerous, even with the presence of Doblas and the goalposts. To start with, Yeste tried his luck in the minute 25 and in the 26th he finished off a centre from Etxeberria with his heel that was amazingly blocked by Doblas with his legs. Not satisfied with this, Athletic pushed on and in the 40th minute Del Horno’s shot at goal struck the goalpost, while Yeste again made Doblas stretch in the 44th minute.

As one might expect in an away match that is going well, there is always some doubt as to whether the team can keep up the pace. Athletic did not leave many openings and despite the local support the opportunities continued being red-and-white. Doblas stopped Etxeberria’s goal shot in the 52nd minute, Llorente also had an opportunity and Del Horno was not able to outdo Doblas, who was inspired yesterday. By then, the rojiblancos were feeling the brunt of having taken the initiative for so long and they took a more defensive position while the two coaches made their moves: Edu for Denilson and Urzaiz for Llorente. Benjamín replacing Arzu to revive the midfield and Ezquerro stepped in for Etxeberria to gain speed in the opposing team’s area. The third for Betis: Israel for Fernando so that Joaquin could free himself of the burden on the left wing known as Casas. The last for Athletic was Solabarrieta who substituted Yeste in order to consolidate the work being done in the midfield area. Betis had their first goal opportunity in the 85th minute with a shot at goal by Oliveira and a ball that was sent high over the posts by Edu in the minute 87 of play. There are good reasons to remain hopeful. With only the return match left every effort must be made to get into the final.

In the press room, Ernesto Valverde said the following: ‘The team has played very well, though we have lost a good opportunity, especially in the first half. We have the experience of Austria, where a nil-nil draw was not sufficient and therefore we will not let our guard down. We have held up well against Betis and it’s a pity that we did not take the advantage. Our team has prepared itself for matches like these. There are no favourites because Betis has so much potential. I only expect a packed San Mamés and all the public’s support’.

And we can’t lose sight of the Liga, where it is still possible to push ahead.