Athletic Club - Villarreal CF

Athletic Club has defeated Villarreal by 3-2; with Llorente (2) and Javi Martinez scoring the goals. That’s three out of three, three matches and three victories. In this the third matchday, Athletic has given a major revision to a team like Villarreal who faces the championship with the 0 undeniable objective of getting into Champions and against whom we scored no points against last season. In spite of the tight 3-2 finish, our team has enjoyed many occasions on which to obtain an ampler result.

From the beginning, the team has shown six new faces with respect to the match on Thursday. Namely, Toquero, Koikili, Ustaritz, David Lopez, Gabilondo and Javi Martinez, but it’s also showed the same determination and level of game as shown on Thursday against Austria Wien. Besides witnessing high quality football, those present in San Mamés have also seen the debut of a new player, Aketxe. The negative side of the third victory was the slight injuries of Martinez and Llorente, though we’re still pending their evolution. Likewise, it’s in the must where we have to locate the final burden of maintaining the difference on the scoreboard after such superiority during most of the match.

The reflection made after the also brilliant victory on Thursday is still valid today: the joy of victory should not make us forget the length and difficulty of a very busy season which has just gotten started.

Villarreal came onto the field with the intention of being faithful to their label and to dominate the match form end to tail with many short touches and game between the lines, especially through the centre of their attacking line. However, the problems for the visitors began as soon as Athletic adjusted the pressure. The festival of opportunities began in the minute 8 with a volley that Gabilondo wanted to fit. Despite it all, the prescription was correct, since the play arose out of stealing a ball in the hot areas of the field. Just two minutes later, in a similar through play, Toquero opened up the ball to the right and the later centre by David Lopez was nailed into the net by Llorente with a header. It was his first goal in the Liga.

Until the break the match has been a revision, a monologue, by Athletic in the incomparable frame of the rain that was coming down little by little, like the rojiblanco’s game, impetuous, insatiable, and with the necessary pauses to take impulse. Gabilondo, from a centre by Iraola, attempted the header; David Lopez has made the other Lopez, the goalkeeper, show himself off, from a free kick; in the minute 31, Llorente finished off with a great header which Diego Lopez deflected, a great collective play culminated with a great cross by Toquero. Perseverance has had its benefit, because in the minute 39 Llorente scored the two- nil, flirting with the offside, after receiving a deep pass from David Lopez, the result of a stolen ball in the midfield, and crossing the ball until the deep end of the far post.

The stalking didn’t stop. Gabilondo, by means of a free kick, caused another good deflection by Lopez and in extra time Llorente shot wide. What about Villarreal? Very well, thanks! Valverde’s men were limited to weathering the storm and their only dangerous approach has been a header by Cani in the minute 36. Dangerous because it barely missed wide and because Amorebieta’s boot got too close to his head. Yet, the dubbed submarine had run aground and might have given for good the first haft by just allowing two goals, after Ibagaza’s injury before the quarter hour and due to the fact they were able to retire with eleven players, since Marcano and Eguren flirted with the colour orange on individual plays of the game.

When they returned from the changing rooms, Athletic, with a regular aim, continued doing their thing and the first quarter hour has been an authentic madness. Llorente ran into Lopez with his thigh and Toquero shot a Chilean over the crossbar. In contrast, Villarreal only needed one approach, centre by Capdevila, Llorente headed it into the area and Cani shot on goal with relative easy, for the ghosts of previous encounters against the same rival to show their faces in San Mamés; all this in just three minutes.

It wasn’t enough, because Athletic was charged and with very clear ideas. As a result, in the minute 51, Llorente was still hungry and his shot with the left barely missed wide. In the 52, Valverde thought it was time to reinforce his offence with the presence of Nilmar in for goal scorer Cani, but Athletic was doing their own thing. Llorente, from a pass by Toquero, shot wide with the left and Toquero himself finished off with a header to make Diego Lopez show off his abilities, though the later corner put the match on track. Gabilondo kicked the corner to the far post where Martinez finished off with a header smack into the net. Things were back where they should be….without reaching the quarter hour.

Iraizoz, who was also playing, made a great save from Nilmar in the 60 and Yeste replaced a limping Javi Martinez in the 65, while Pires substituted Rossi, who was already positioned on the right flank. Llorente, also doing his thing, kept accumulating occasions and in the 71 he had the clearest when he was all alone before Diego Lopez, but his attempt to chip the ball over the goalie ended in corner.

Muniain came in for David Lopez in the minute 72, Toquero changed to the right wing, and 79 Aketxe made his debut by substituting Llorente. It’s been the only part of the match in which Villarreal has taken the reins. Things as they were, after a distant shot by Pires that Iraizoz warded off, the stretch by the goalie wasn’t able to avoid that a later free kick by Cazorla slip into his goal. Six minutes, and four of injury time, with undue suffering for what was demonstrated on the playing field. In the end, and without it serving as a precedent, because this is football, justice and game walked hand-in-hand to take three very tasty points before facing, with almost no rest, the fourth Liga matchday in Tenerife.