Great victory against Liverpool

Athletic Club’s U-23 team – made up of players from Bilbao Athletic and Basconia – has achieved a stunning victory against Liverpool FC at The Academy, the Reds’ facility in Kirkby, in the third and final match of the group stage of the Premier League International Cup. The team coached by Joseba Etxeberria has beaten the English team by 1 goal to 2 (both by Inigo Baqué) in a match in which they have been fair winners, especially for their merits in the first half.

The puppies have quickly taken control of the game and the best chances. The clearest, starring in the eighth minute by Jon Guruzeta after a deep pass from Areso that left the midfielder alone in a one-on-one with Winterbottom that the English goalkeeper cleared with his right foot.

Two more chances for Baque and Tascón preceded Athletic’s first goal, with both of them playing a leading role after a counterattack in which Tascón battled for a ball in the area that ended up in Baque’s feet, who shot at the first to make it 0-1. Only eight minutes later, the player from Durango scored the second one after a good attacking play that ended with a cross from Guruzeta.

Liverpool just worried when Dixon-Bonner’s shot on the stroke of half-time was solved by Iru and Vivian. Despite the attempts of Dixon-Bonner in the second half, he failed to be close enough to the puppies’ goal. Thus, Athletic’s team had a few more chances to increase their lead, until in the 81st minute Jack Bearne achieve the 1-2 with a shot that Iru could not save. The goalkeeper did manage to avoid a goal three minutes later with a shot from Tom Hill that nearly became the tie.

With this result, Athletic Club will not be able to go through to the next round of the tournament – the only qualified are the first of each group and the two best runners up – . The last match in the group (between Wolverhampton and Liverpool) will make one of the two teams superior in the classification, led by PSG for the time being, with the same 4 points as the puppies but one more goal scored (4-4 against 3-3). A win for Liverpool or Wolves would send them into the next round as group winners, while a draw would also send the Reds ahead of Athletic with a goal difference (now 4-4 for them), leaving the puppies in third place in Group E of the competition.

TECHNICAL DATASHEET

LIVERPOOL FC: Winterbottom, Hoever, Savage, Boyes, Gallacher, Clarkson, Cain, Dixon-Bonner, Bearne, Hardy (Stewart, 64′), Hill.

ATHLETIC CLUB: Iru, Areso, Rojo, Vivian (García de Albéniz, 68′), Murua, Bernaola, Jon Guruzeta, Víctor, (Vencedor, 50′), Baqué, Tascón and Salado.

GOLES: Baqué (27’), Baqué (34’), Jack Bearne (81’)