A 2019 to become recognisable again

Athletic Club ended 2019 with a match at the Santiago Bernabéu on 22 December against Real Madrid. The Lions, under the leadership of Gaizka Garitano, have once again become a recognisable team during this year that has left us with numbers and moments to remember. A period of time in which Athletic have become one of the most reliable teams in LaLiga Santander at home, dropping only once and conceding only ten goals.

The year began with the team in a difficult qualifying position, but it quickly turned into a good feeling. The team got the first home win with Garitano and of the whole season against Celta and then the victory in San Mamés against Sevilla by 2-0, which let Athletic to be in four consecutive matches without knowing the defeat.

The results accompanied and Athletic was able to compete against all rivals. Garitano’s team drew at San Mamés against FC Barcelona and beat Atlético Madrid, setting themselves up for the final stretch of the season with European aspirations. There were key moments throughout the second round such as the victory in Girona: in matchday 29 the team got the first win away from home after started losing or against Levante getting the three points at the last minute with Muniain’s goal.

Already this season, the Garitano’s have continued to show their strength at San Mamés, achieving important victories against FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad among others. Moreover, outside The Cathedral, the Lions finished the calendar year well after picking up a valuable point at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Scorers

Three names have contributed most to the scoring: Iñaki Williams (13), Raúl García (13) and Iker Muniain (7), as well as Yuri (3), Kodro (2), Beñat (1), Aduriz (1) and Capa (1).