Athletic Club missed another opportunity to get closer to the Champions League places, the second in a week in San Mamés, by drawing tonight in San Mamés against a Granada that took the lead on the scoreboard and then was able to weather the storm already with the final tie at one.
The Nasrid team took the lead in the 6th minute with an almost Olympic goal from a corner by Gerard Gumbau, who shot directly at the goal and touched Iñaki Williams at the near post to beat Simón.
Gorka Guruzeta equalized in the 24th minute, taking advantage of a quick clearance by Augusto Batalla from a Nico Williams center that had been deflected by Miguel Rubio.
From there, the clash was almost a red-and-white siege, somewhat haphazard and without chances.
With this 1-1, Athletic has two points in two consecutive games at home, and two in three consecutive games, which puts it at risk of falling out of the fight for the Champions League with an Atlético de Madrid that, with one game less , leads him by three points while waiting for what happens in the next clash between the two at the Metropolitano.
The point is of almost no use to Granada since they are still ten points away from salvation, although at least it encourages them to continue fighting until the end of the season, for which they have six games left.
At the start Valverde changed the double pivot of the clash against Villarreal because he recovered Galarreta and for Unai Gómez to give a more offensive profile than Prados to the initial team.
In Granada Sandoval, who no longer used the Uzuni headdress at first, was forced to change Pellistri at the last minute due to an illness. In its place came Doors.
Even with that forced variation, the Nasrid team got off to a better start, having already forced a yellow card for Paredes in the 4th minute, after a very long control over the release of the ball, and in the 6th minute they opened the scoring.
It was with an almost Olympic goal, a corner kick from Gumbau that grazed Iñaki Williams on the head and slipped into Unai Simón’s goal. The feeling that was left was that all the credit went to the Catalan player, since Williams did not change the trajectory of a cross that seemed to have surpassed the international goalkeeper in any way.
Granada continued better against a more disorderly Athletic than usual, but Valverde’s men began to dominate the match, Sancet warned in a poorly finished play and Guruzeta equalized the clash in a play that Yuri started, he himself continued and Nico was also the protagonist .
The international winger persisted against Bruno Méndez and managed to cross, the ball hit Rubio and Batalla cleared it as best he could so that it did not reach the area behind him. The ball fell to ‘Guru’ and the scorer promptly bounced it into the net. Sixteenth goal from ‘Gurugol’ so far this season, the fourteenth in LaLiga.
The Athletic striker could have scored again after half an hour, but Iganasi Miquel took the ball over the line with which Guruzeta had beaten Batalla after receiving a great through ball from Sancet.
A fall by Nico in the visiting area angered the San Mamés fans and Granada was able to take the lead again on a counterattack after a local corner in which Galarreta, after an agonizing run from area to area, blocked Puertas’ final shot.
In the corner kick Sandoval left three players off the hook, who were left with two in the counterattack until ‘Galaxy’ appeared. It was the last notable action of the first half.
The second began with Yuri’s shot deflected in a very good position after a cross in Unai Gómez’s strategy.
Athletic’s dominance intensified with Granada already more outmatched than in the first half and a succession of arrivals began Battle area that, however, did not end in a goal.
The most dangerous was a shot by Williams from the front and with his left foot that the Argentine goalkeeper cleared as best he could for a corner.
Before, Yeray had looked for the crossbar with a shot from distance and Nico had caused a corner with a cross that Rubio cleared almost towards his goal.
The changes, a certain Nasrid parsimony and a very tough tackle by Bruno Méndez on Yuri made the match somewhat dirty until Athletic resumed an initiative that little by little was turning into a siege.
Without much fruit because the ‘lions’ lacked finesse and could not find a definitive action. At most three forced corner kicks by Williams and Berenguer and a bad cross by De Marcos after a good play with Herrera.
The danger was growing in the visiting area and Iñaki missed a volley that he hit in the small area after two rebounds and who failed to score between the three posts with the goal very close.
Another fall in the Nico area, also without sanction, gave way to the discount between the rush of Athletic and the anger of the stands with the refereeing. The clash did not give any more of itself and Athletic loses strength in its fight to enter the Champions League.
2024-04-19 21:10:02
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