Unai Gomez saves Athletic

Holding up the “Made in Lezama” sticker, midfielder Unai Gomez arrived in time to sign Athletic’s victory over UD Las Palmas. It was the last play of the game. Everything showed in the final moments, 0-0, when the Bermeo midfielder burst into the visitor’s area and scored, beating a very inspired Alvaro Valles. Sevilla’s goalkeeper saved Grzeta’s penalty before half-time, but had to find the back of the net when no one expected it.

García Pimienta’s team competed with judgment and perseverance against a red-white team whose main virtues were patience and assertiveness, despite the difficulties encountered along the way. Valverde’s changes also contributed to achieving the goal.

The Lions arrive at the European break level on 35 points with fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, with a pending match against Sevilla remaining. Beyond the numbers, the feeling this young athletic exudes is especially exciting. We have a long way to go, but our goal in Europe is just around the corner.

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Valverde went into the visit of UD Las Palmas with the same starting lineup as last Saturday’s match against Atlético Madrid, also in San Mamés. In this way, Beñat Prados repeated the double pivot with Ander Herrera. With De Marcos injured, Luque returned to right-back, leaving Yuri on the left.

Garcia Pimienta came off the bench. The visiting coach introduced four variations for the team, which had just played at home against Cadiz. Kylian was suspended and Moreiro missed the San Mamés tournament due to injury. Defender Cardona, center Marvin and Loiodike, and forward Solly Cava were newcomers from Gran Canaria.

It soon became clear that the yellow team would be coming to take on the raging Athletics. The Lions were not satisfied with the pressure and combination play of their rivals. Despite everything, the Rojiblancos had a chance to take the lead. Iñaki Williams was the first to try, followed by Grzeta.

The night’s controversy began about 30 minutes into the game. Marvi fell in the local area after being charged by Paredes, and the referee awarded a penalty and changed his mind after reviewing the play after requesting VAR. But 10 minutes later, Mika Marmol gave away the biggest penalty after grabbing Grzeta inside the area. A San Sebastian player took the penalty and Barres was able to deflect the ball. Before the break, Yuri and Araujo both had options.

Athletic started the game better in the second half, but Valverde could not see things clearly and started relying on the bench. Thus, Herrera and Grzeta were replaced by Vesga and Berenguer. Thus, Iñaki Williams became a centre-forward. Berenguer was looking to score on the first pitch.

Coach García Pimienta turned to Sandro to lead the local players, but Sandro soon tested Unai Simon. The Lions replaced Sunset with Unai Gomez and continued their march, little by little trapping the Gran Canarias team. Barres and his defenders continued to resolve close situations, and Sandro also tested Unai Simon.

Jaureguizar and Raul Garcia were the final catalysts, and everything looked to be tied. Bilbao’s fightback in the final minutes ended with a cross from Iñaki Williams and a goal from Unai Gomez. There are 3 gold points.