

Athletic Club manager Marcelino García Toral refused to take any of the plaudits for the Lions’ 5-1 victory over Getafe at San Mamés, instead he praised the performance and attitude of his players.
The Rojiblancos achieved a result for the ages as they put Getafe to the sword with a lethal showing at San Mamés on Monday night.
“I did nothing,” Marcelino said during his post-match press conference. “The players are the true main characters here.
“I can only be appreciative of how they’ve received us since day one.
“They play like they train and they train like what they are… lions.”
Marcelino highlighted Athletic’s refusal to be beaten or lose faith, despite the shock of conceding a goal within the first 20 seconds of the fixture.
“The team was able to recover from the first goal,” Marcelino added. “We equalised after a great team move and in the first half we played really well at times, although the penalty made us stutter a bit.
“The truth is that we lost a bit of composure until half-time.
“But the second half was marvellous.”
The manager also recognised the impact winning the Super Cup has had on the squad’s confidence, saying: “When you get positive results, your confidence grows.
“It’s clear the level of competitiveness shown at the Supercopa was a massive boost for this squad.
“Today, like I said pre-match, was a very important match. We were closer to the bottom part than the top part of the league table and we needed to win.
“On top of that, to win the way just doubles the sense of satisfaction.
He continued: “The only thing I regret is not being able to enjoy a night like this, with the Supercopa trophy in the stands and five goals in a game, with our people.
“But the situation is what it is. Hopefully the fans will be will us soon and we’ll keep going down this path so that they can continue to be proud of their team.”



Going for a third final in 2021
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Athletic face Levante at the Ciutat de Valéncia on Thursday in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals (1-1 first leg).


Highlights I Levante UD 1-1 Athletic Club (LaLiga Matchday 25)
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A game of two penalties, as both sides get a point


Marcelino: “A victory for us would’ve been fair”
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Marcelino bemoaned the defensive mistakes that led to Levante’s goal


Athletic held to frustrating draw by Levante
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Despite constantly threatening, Athletic only pick up one point from a match where both goals came from the penalty spot


Confirmed line-ups: Levante UD vs Athletic Club
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The XI’s for tonight’s LaLiga match at the Ciutat de Valéncia


Global TV Guide: Levante UD vs Athletic Club (LaLiga Matchday 25)
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When and where to watch Athletic’s upcoming LaLiga match against Levante UD


Marcelino: “We’re focused on winning tomorrow”
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Marcelino looks ahead to Friday night’s LaLiga Santander match against Levante UD


Squad list: Levante UD vs Athletic Club (LaLiga Matchday 25)
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Marcelino has called up 23 players for Friday night’s clash with Levante UD at the Ciutat de València


A big week against Levante
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Athletic will face Levante twice in six days, starting with a LaLiga fixture on Friday (21:00 CET)


Raúl García: “The more difficult the challenge, the better”
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After extending his contract with Athletic Club until 2022, Raúl García expressed his intention to keep going “as long as he was up to the task of competing for this Club”