Athletic overthrows Girona with its advanced pressure | Soccer | Sports

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It was an admirable, moving spectacle that Athletic and Girona put on in San Mamés, in which the home team won, handing their second consecutive defeat to Michel’s team, which in no way can be said to be In crisis. With a two-goal deficit on the scoreboard, they surrounded Unai Simón’s goal in the last quarter of an hour and nine minutes of stoppage time, but could not balance the score.

3

Unai Simón, Yuri, Lekue (De Marcos, min. 30), Yeray (Aitor Paredes, min. 85), Daniel Vivian, Benat Prados (Vesga, min. 86), Ruiz de Galarreta, Berenguer, Unai Gómez, Williams and Guruzeta (Nico Williams, min. 74)

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Gazzaniga, Miguel Gutierrez, Eric Garcia, Arnau Martinez (Valery Fernández, min. 74), Juanpe, Iván Martín (Portu, min. 74), Aleix García, Yangel Herrera (Jhon Solís, min. 89), Tsygankov (Stuani, min . 89), Sávio and Dovbyk

Goals 1-0 min. 1: Berenguer. 1-1 min. 48: Tsygankov. 2-1 min. 56: Berenguer. 3-1 min. 59: Williams. 3-2 min. 74: Eric Garcia.

Referee José María Sánchez Martínez

Yellow cards Juan Carlos (min. 20) and Eric Garcia (min. 25)

Girona arrived at the Cathedral with the intention of resuming that crazy race that began in August, and the intention of making it as difficult as possible for Real Madrid, the team that made them brake in the penultimate corner, and that after their relative stumble in Vallecas might have seemed closer. But they didn’t have just anyone in front of them, but an Athletic that has become strong in its field, and that had only lost one of its last twenty games, which also aspires to join the Champions League party.

So with two teams connected you could only expect a great game, and that is what was seen in San Mamés. A clash that is a pleasure to see, a tribute to football with two sets of different characteristics, but that complemented each other in a sometimes grandiose give and take. Honor to Athletic and Girona.

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But it turns out that the Basque team got the better of the Catalan from the start of the game until half-time, so before minute 2 was up, they were already ahead on the scoreboard, after a faulty horizontal pass by Aleix García , overwhelmed by the fierce pressure of the people of Bilbao. The ball reached Berenguer, who after looking for space, shot next to the post, where Gazzaniga couldn’t reach. The visiting team had not yet approached the rojiblanco field and was already at a disadvantage on the scoreboard.

And things did not improve for Girona in the following minutes, because they were unable to overcome the forward pressure of Valverde’s men, tireless in their task, with the faith of the charcoal burner instilled in them by their coach, who believes like no one else in culture. of the effort. So by the quarter of an hour, and without Girona responding, except with a shot from Tsygankov, Athletic had a couple of attempts in which Iñaki Williams missed his aim.

The red and whites continued to exert brutal pressure and Girona was not comfortable in the first quarter, but as soon as the second began, in a very classy action, Aleix García came up the baseline to center behind where Tsygankov was waiting to push very close. and put the tie and things as at the beginning.

But no one can with Athletic’s faith. After a few minutes in which Girona pushed, revitalized by the tie, the home team returned to tackling, and stealing balls as if there were no tomorrow, until Guruzeta scored one from Miguel very close to the area, he gave it to him horizontal to Berenguer, who again, as in the first goal, put her away from Gazzaniga. Athletic’s third came a little later, in a shot from Vivian’s defense, which Iñaki Williams caught, let it bounce and shot so that it hit the post and slipped into the goal.

But in San Mamés no one gave up, and despite the disadvantage, Girona did not stop trying. He did it, above all, from set pieces, and with a quarter of an hour left, he managed to narrow the score when Eric García finished off a free kick taken by Aleix from close range. Girona then had the challenge, but Athletic defended itself, managing to unseat its rival, for now, from the fight for the title.