Valverde could not breathe a sigh of relief until Nico Williams, with a trademark goal, made it 0-3 in the 85th minute of the game. Athletic showed themselves to be more superior throughout the cold and rainy Cantabrian night than a Cayón team that, surely, missed having this match on its own field. The environmental factor is also very equal at El Sardinero because the representation of the red-and-white fans is remarkable.
This kind of Cup tie in a single match against a top rival is not a good memory for the Gasteiztarran coach. His debut as coach of the Athletic first team in the KO tournament, on October 7, 2003, was a real blow. Gimnástica de Torrelavega, who were bottom of their group in Second B at the time, eliminated the lions with a goal in stoppage time. That Cantabrian team was coached by a coach named Cayón and Javi Fernández, the author of the final 2-1, was a native of the town of Cayón.
Any mildly superstitious follower of the Bilbao team will touch the wood when these facts become known. But the matter did not end there. Luis Fernández, the coach of the rojiblancos’ current rivals in this match, has already participated in Athletic’s elimination from the KO tournament on two occasions. In the first of them, he was also the main star, as he converted the last penalty that meant Betis’ passage to the final in San Mamés in 2008. A few years later, as a footballer for Karera, a team coached by Marcelino at the time, he also participated in a 3-3 for La Catedral that left the lions in the gutter.
Goals are love
Cayón, by the way, will have Gimnástica de Torrelavega as its rival next Sunday in its League. More wood. Fortunately, for Athletic and his coach, Villalibre was in charge of removing the possible ghosts shortly after the ball was played. The Gernika striker, who has barely played this season, was spotted in the end positions before signing his double. The referee’s mistake in the second of them was shocking, a non-existent penalty. Luis Fernández and his troops certainly didn’t get VAR.
The red and white team awaits a new rival in the pot after doing their homework in Santander, not in Cayón, and ending a series of superstitions that, after what they experienced, had no reason to exist. Valverde started with a completely new eleven and the bet worked perfectly. On Sunday its effects had to be felt in Granada.
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.
