Athletic draw in Getafe
Athletic draw in Getafe
The Lions were superior in the first half, but Unai Simón kept his side in the tie with two great saves later on
Athletic Club drew 0-0 with Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez. The match leaves the Lions in ninth place ahead of the three upcoming fixtures at San Mamés: Sevilla, Betis and Real Madrid.
Los Rojiblancos were superior in the first half, but struggled in the second, with goalkeeper Unai Simón having to make incredible saves against Sandro and Mathias Oliveira.
The match at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, which was packed with Athletic supporters, was tight from the start. Athletic had more possession than their opponents, but struggled to create chances against a team with three central defenders.
Athletic’s first chance came when Iñigo Martínez got a head on Unai Vencedor’s free-kick, given after a hard tackle on a lively Nico Williams by Djene.
Meanwhile, Getafe’s only threats came via long-range shots from Carlos Aleñá. In the final quarter of the first half, Athletic stepped up a gear, constantly looking to attack David Soria’s box. Vencedor shot wide and Iñaki Williams could not beat Soria when through on goal after a great counter-attack.
Athletic struggled to create chances in the second half, while the home side grew into the game. Unai Simón stepped up to the played and his performance was the key to Athletic taking a point.
In the 49th minute, he tipped Aleña’s curling effort over the crossbar. In the 76th minute, he rushed out of his goal to deny Sandro and not long later he made a fantastic point-blank save to deny Olivera.
Athletic’s last opportunity to find a winner came in stoppage time, but Alex Berenguer could not make the most of it when played through by Oihan Sancet.