Aspas strike sinks Athletic
Aspas strike sinks Athletic
Defeat at Balaídos in an even match where Berenger hit the post with a volley
Athletic Club lost 1-0 against RC Celta at Balaidos, Iago Aspas scoring the only goal in an evenly contested match.
The Lions are at a standstill in their attempts to get back in the hunt for European football. Nonetheless. there is still a lot of football left to be played this season.
In a moment which could have changed the course of the game, Alex Berenguer struck the woodwork after a flowing team move between himself, Gorka Gurezeta and Yuri Berchiche. Aspas' goal, a lifeline in their relegation battle, came in the 70th minute and Athletic were unable to find a way back into the match.
Within the first 30 seconds, Carles Pérez had a goal ruled out by VAR for a clear handball in the build. The scare was followed by Unai Simon pulling off a great save to deny Luca de la Torre in the 13th minute. Not long later, Berenguer hit the side netting with a shot in the box.
Álex's chance occurred just after the half hour mark. It was a well-worked move, Dani García squared it to Yuri, whose cross was delicately popped up by Guruzeta for Berenguer to volley. The whole stadium thought it was destined to go in, but instead it hit the post... Los Leones were on top, but couldn't find a breakthrough
Ernesto Valverde threw on some fresh legs, introducing Oihan Sancet for Ander Herrera. However, Athletic struggled to break down Celta defence and the mercurial Aspas punished the Lions.
Iñaki Williams didn't make the squad due to a hamstring issue, thus ending his run of consecutive LaLiga appearances at 251 matches.
On Monday morning we'll discover our opponents for the Cup semi-final. But it is also time to focus on Cadiz at San Mames next Friday, a golden opportunity to get back on track in LaLiga.