Athletic showed up yesterday at Mendizorrotza knowing that their last victory there dated back to the 2002-03 season. The lions, led by Heynckes, defeated the babazorros, with Txutxi Aranguren as coach, by 2-4. Magno and Astudillo scored the local goals and Yeste, Urzaiz and Etxebe (two) the visitors.
The seven subsequent visits of the red and white to the Albiazul fiefdom were resolved with four defeats and three draws, all of them zero. The last of them coincided with the final relegation campaign of Gasteiztarras. Mendilibar and Marcelino, coaches of both teams at the time in the 2021-22 League, planned a match in the rainy season thinking more about not losing than anything else.
Last night was another derby in the First Division. Villalibre, one of Alavés’ promotion heroes with a decisive last-minute penalty goal against Levante, started the night on the Bilbao bench. Guridi, one of his best allies and friends during his short stay in Gasteiz, too. The former Real midfielder has a place in the local bank alongside Karrikaburu, among others.
The most awaited moment of the night came around the 71st minute of the game. Valverde then opted to proceed with a double change. Villaliber arrived to replace Guruzeta. The now Athletic striker received a loud and heartfelt ovation from Alavés fans chanting “Búfalo”. A great detail, without a doubt, by Albiazul fans.
Subtle differences
A few minutes after the Gernika striker joined the match, Bilbao’s second goal came. Iñaki Williams assisted Sancet and he, with a shot that was about to break, established the final 0-2. The Navarrese, who had also previously enjoyed good times, were unforgiving this time.
The complete opposite of Samu. The Melilla striker, who arrived in Gasteiz on loan from Atlético de Madrid, had two clear scoring options against Unai Simón alone, but in neither of them was he able to hit the ball well. A good portion of local options to get back into the fight have inexplicably disappeared.
Karrikaburu, by the way, spent the entire match against Athletic on the bench. The striker from Real, for whom some Athletic fans say must pay his 50 million clause, did not play a leading role on this night with Gasteiz showing its unconditional love for Villalibre despite wearing Athletic shirt.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
