English
Espanyol Stuns Athletic in San Mamés with Narrow Victory
Bilbao witnessed a hard-fought and thrilling match at the Estadio de San Mamés, where Espanyol defeated Athletic Club with a score of 1-2. Athletic dominated possession with 65%, persistently seeking the rival’s goal, but encountered a well-organized Espanyol defense. The match was characterized by intense play, reflected in the six yellow cards shown, four for Athletic and two for Espanyol.
Athletic took the lead in the 38th minute with a goal from A. Berenguer. However, the home joy did not last long, as C. Romero equalized for Espanyol just before halftime, in the 44th minute. In the second half, P. Milla put Espanyol ahead in the 52nd minute, assisted by T. Dolan. Despite Athletic’s efforts to come back, Espanyol managed to maintain the lead until the end.
Athletic generated more goal opportunities, with 17 total shots, 7 of which were on target, while Espanyol made 10 shots with 5 on target. However, Espanyol’s effectiveness was key to taking the three points from Bilbao. The referee, Mateo Busquets Ferrer, had work to maintain control of a match in which physical contact was constant.
Substitutions espanyol: at minute 57 P. Milla came in and Jofre went out., at minute 72 P. Lozano came in and K. Garcia went out., at minute 83 T. Dolan came in and J. Salinas went out., at minute 83 Exposito came in and R. Sanchez went out., at minute 84 C. Romero came in and C. Riedel went out.
Substitutions athletic club: at minute 57 N. Williams came in and G. Guruzeta went out., at minute 57 I. Ruiz de Galarreta came in and A. Rego went out., at minute 76 A. Boiro came in and U. Gomez went out., at minute 76 A. Gorosabel came in and J. Areso went out., at minute 79 I. Williams came in and R. Navarro went out.
The teams lined up as follows:
Athletic Club
Titulares:
Espanyol
Titulares:
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