Athletic Club - Real Zaragoza

Athletic Club 0-Real Zaragoza 0


Athletic Club were unable to do better than a goalless draw against Real Zaragoza. After the equaliser our team are now in seventh place, with the same number of points as the sixth team and with still five match days left until the end of the League. The Red-Whites had more merit than their rivals to win the match, not only because they were the only contenders in going after a clear victory, but also because they had the clearest opportunities to score, but without converting them into goals and this makes it difficult to maintain our privileged position in the ladder. Nevertheless, all options are still open and a new opportunity awaits us on Monday in the Derby in Iruñea, in a match that Iraola, who has five yellow cards, won’t be able to take part in.

The aim was to stay in sixth place and carry on with the good track record at home, well at least the team is still undefeated at San Mamés to date in 2010. Better than nothing, but in addition to proving to be strong at home, points are important and the evening ended with a feeling of sadness, as our team deserved to win the match and perhaps because it was the only match this season where it was absolutely clear that a team was only and exclusively thinking about reaching a draw right from the initial whistle blow.

Just like other evenings, the assault started early, but in contrast to some of the previous assaults the goal resisted since minute 2 of the game when Llorente slipped after receiving Oscar De Marcos’s deadly pass, Oscar having made a comeback to the Premier team and as a starting player. The very same De Marcos finished off a corner kicked by Gabilondo with a header. Zaragoza were really suffering when pressured, and at the same time during quite a few minutes in the first half the fact of being well planted in the field (their medulla line was reinforced for the occasion and their centres worked non-stop) had put our players in some creative binds.

At least, many a time with the heart as a flag and once again with great physical effort, our team kept on applying the pressure and it could also be said that players like Toquero at the time of clearing the rival defence were sorely missed. Llorente took a shot at goal with a drop kick that went straight to Roberto’s hands in the 21st minute, Susaeta called out for a penalty twice in the 24th and then two minutes later De Marcos had the clearest goal-scoring opportunity of the first half and perhaps the match. It was a good collective play that started at our own side of the field, with the ball being passed to Llorente, the one born in Iruñea then passing it on to Gabilondo whose precise centre was finished off from behind by Oscar De Marcos, but Roberto stuck out his hand well and ruined everything.

The halftime break followed Suazo’s line shot that went out, Zaragoza had already achieved their objective and their performance in the second half corroborated this theory. Another matter is whether that single point helps them any, a similar attitude that our teams now had. In the second half, Athletic got things underway explosively while Zaragoza took a step backwards, the first quarter of an hour gave the sensation that if a goal-scoring opportunity could be converted into goal, the match would be over with.

But they did not go in despite Susaeta (whose shot with the left missed in the 48th) and Llorente’s efforts (a shot that went straight into Roberto’s hands in the 52nd and a header that went over the crossbar after having everything in his favour after Javi Martínez passed the ball to him in the 54th) which could have meant the scales being inclined our way. One hour into the game Yeste replaced Gabilondo and the 68th minute Muniain, another player to make a comeback yesterday, took over from Gurpegi.

Yeste went on to become the double pivot, which meant less physical work and more ball circulation, though with less r.p.m. After neither Llorente nor Muniain could push the ball into the back of the net as a result of Susaeta’s shot to the centre in the 71st minute, Gay made it clear with his first substitution, Obradovic in for Abel Aguilar, that his vital plan was to notch up points even if this meant only one and he achieved this along with the fact that the locals were worn out, in spite of De Cerio who replaced De Marcos in the home stretch.

Athletic kept on insisting with more guts than reasoning, but it was very difficult. Even Zaragoza, with Colunga taking Suazo’s place, could give themselves a treat by making Iraizoz suffer on a couple of occasions and a treat by means of Eliseu who took a shot at goal for the first time during the second half and this was in the 83rd minute.

The fans appreciated the overflowing desire and the unmistakable willingness to win that our players had shown, though at times they had lost their patience in demanding greater vertical position or a more direct game, something that is logical at critical moments, and it’s certain that the pressure of this thrilling home stretch is making an impression on everyone, on and off the field. Let’s see if at least we can reap the rewards away from home in one of the two away matches left to be faced.