Valverde: "We weren't clinical enough today"

Ernesto Valverde rued Athletic Club's errors in both boxes as the Lions were knocked out of the 2024/25 Copa by Osasuna on Thursday night.

Athletic fought back from 0-2 down to make it 2-2, but Ante Budimir settled the match with ten minutes to go at San Mames.

"What happened in our previous matches against Osasuna happened again," Valverde said in his post-match press conference.

"We came at them, we created chances, but they were more clinical than us and in the end we were knocked out of the Copa

"At the start of the game we struggled to get forward. They tried to break on the counter-attack and above all they played for set-pieces.

"We fought back after their first two goals. But after that, despite having a lot of chances, we couldn't take the lead and then they got their third and went back to defending deep.

"We created enough danger to equalise again but it wasn't to be.

"Knockout matches are like that though. You're playing for everything in one single match. It's not like LaLiga, where everything evens out in the end."

Valverde urged his Lions to look to the future, reminding everyone that we've got a lot left to play for this season.

He said: "This is like everything else. In the end, we know what football is like. If we win, we're the best and if we lose we have to pick ourselves up.

"We gave it our all to win, it wasn't to be and now we have to keep moving forward in the competitions we have left. Nobody likes to get knocked out, but life goes on and it's about confronting challenges.

"It's true that we haven't started the year the way we would have liked, but it doesn't end here, we have to keep going."