Athletic overthrow Girona with their advanced pressure | Soccer | Sports

It was an admirable and moving spectacle that Athletic and Girona offered in San Mamés, in which the local team won, inflicting its second consecutive defeat on Michel’s team, of which it can in no case be said that she is in crisis. With a two-goal deficit on the scoreboard, they surrounded Unai Simón’s goal in the final quarter of an hour and nine minutes of stoppage time, but failed to level the score.

Girona arrived at the Cathedral with the intention of resuming this crazy race that began in August, and with the intention of making it as difficult as possible for Real Madrid, the team that held him back in the penultimate turn, and this after their relative stumble. Vallecas could have looked closer. But they did not have in front of them just anyone, but an Athletic who had become strong in his field, and who had lost only one of his last twenty matches, and who also aspired to join the Champions League party .

So, with two teams connected, one could only expect a great match, and that’s what happened in San Mamés. A clash that is a pleasure to see, a tribute to football with two sets of different characteristics, but which complement each other in a sometimes grandiose exchange. Honor to Athletic and Girona.

But it turns out that the Basque team gained the upper hand over the Catalans from the start of the match until halftime, so before the end of the 2nd minute they were already in the lead on the scoreboard, after an erroneous horizontal pass from Aleix García, overwhelmed by the ferocious pressure of the inhabitants of Bilbao. The ball reached Berenguer who, after looking for space, shot next to the post, where Gazzaniga could not 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 minutes that followed, as they failed to overcome the pressure of Valverde’s men, tireless in their task, with the faith of the coalman instilled by their coach, who believes like nobody. in the culture of effort. Thus, a quarter of an hour into the game, and without Girona responding, with the exception of a shot from Tsygankov, Athletic had several attempts during which Iñaki Williams missed his goal.

The red and whites continued to exert brutal pressure and Girona was not comfortable in the first quarter, but from the start of the second, in a very elegant action, Aleix García went up the baseline to center behind where Tsygankov was waiting to push from very close range. .and put on the tie and everything like at the beginning.

But no one can do it with the faith of Athletic. After a few minutes in which Girona pushed, revitalized by the draw, the home team started tackling and stealing balls again like there was no tomorrow, until Guruzeta scored one from Miguel very close to the surface, he gives it to him horizontally. Berenguer, who once again, as on the first goal, kept it away from Gazzaniga. Athletic’s third came a little later, on a shot from Vivian’s defense, which Iñaki Williams caught, let it bounce and shot so that it hit the post and slid into the goal.

But in San Mamés, no one gave up and, despite the disadvantage, Girona did not stop trying. He did this mainly from set pieces and, with a quarter of an hour to go, he managed to reduce the score on Eric García who completed a free kick taken from close range by Aleix. Girona then took up the challenge, but Athletic defended itself, managing to topple its rival, for now, from the fight for the title.

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