Valverde: "A huge morale boost"

Athletic Club head coach Ernesto Valverde said the Lions' comeback victory over Real Betis was a "plus for the group" as they look to improve upon last season's home form.

Los Rojiblancos were 0-2 down within the first 10 minutes, but a remarkable first-half turnaround saw them head into the break with a 3-2 lead before going onto win 4-2.

"When things become an uphill battle and you manage to turn it around, that's a huge boost for your morale," the gaffer said in his post-match press conference.

"The next time it happens, you know that you're capable of bouncing back in an adverse situation. I'm not going to deny that it's a plus for the group.

"It was crucial for us to score goals and get three points at San Mames. Especially, bearing in mind that last season we didn't do as well here as we wanted. We want to be strong at our home ground. Everyone knows that when they come here they're in for a tough game."

Ernesto admitted Athletic's start was far from perfect but lauded the spirit shown by his players to get back into the game.

He said: "They got into the box three times and came away with two goals. When you find yourself trailing in the 10th minute, it's a complicated situation.

"We fought to change it, we pushed forward, we believed, we turned around a difficult situation and were ahead before the break. In the second half we tried be tighter at the back and we took the three points."