Valverde: “We got a point, but it wasn't a brilliant match”

Ernesto Valverde said he felt "relieved" when Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta scored a late equaliser in the Basque Derby, but admitted it wasn't a great overall performance.

Athletic showed plenty of heart, even if there was some imprecisions in their display, as they registered a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad.

"The match was going very badly for us," Valverd said in his post-match press conference.

"They played better in the first half and had more chances. They could have scored a second, but we kept pushing and then came the sending-off.

"We threw everything at them and got the equaliser. Overall, they played well. We got a point, but it wasn't a brilliant performance from us."

The Lions were lacking sharpness, but they drew on their pride to earn a point in a match that had become an uphill struggle.

Valverde said: "We are a team with a lot of drive. Perhaps in the first half we lacked a little more composure, we needed to move the ball more cleanly.

"We often achieve things through persistence, it's one of our strengths. The things we have achieved are down to our spirit."

After Wednesday's Champions League match against Sporting CP and Sunday's Basque Derby, the Zurigorri will now prepare for a Copa quarter-final against Valencia CF.

"We are in a whirlwind of matches coming thick and fast," Valverde added.

"We felt better the other day because we played well against a team that has made it into the top eight in the Champions League.

"Today there were moments when Real Sociedad were better than us. We drew, but I'm not going to say we're happy. We felt relieved to have managed to equalise."