Elche CF - Athletic Club

Athletic Club closed out the 2020-21 LaLiga season with a 2-0 loss against relegation battlers Elche CF.

A win for the home side meant they escaped relegation in front of 5,000 of their own fans, and condemned SD Huesca to the Segunda Division in the process. Let’s hope that next season we will see fans return to the stadiums in full.

Marcelino’s side finish the campaign in a mid-table slot. The Lions will be ninth if Getafe beat Granada on Sunday or 10th if Granada get a point.

The first home goal came in a controversial passage of play. The referee did not call a foul on Unai Núñez, and when the ball went out for a throw-in, the home side quickly put it back into play for Lucas Boyé to beat Jokin Ezkieta, who was making his first start in LaLiga Santander for the Lions.

Athletic had just one clear-cut chance, a counter-attack that started with Oihan Sancet recovering possession and teeing up Alex Berenguer, but Paolo Gazzaniga managed to get a hand to the latter’s shot.

After the break, Lucas Boyé could have made it 2-0. But it was Raúl Guti who got their second goal, firing in from distance not long after Gonzalo Verdú had been stretchered off injured.

Marcelino rang the changes and brought on Iñigo Vicente for the first time since the manager’s arrival. However, none of the substitutes were able to turn the tide of the match and Elche won 2-0

Elche celebrated in the stands whilst keeping an eye on events at El Alcoraz, where a goal from Huesca would have put them in the relegation zone. It didn’t happen and the party at the Martínez Valero was complete.