Guruzeta arrived just in time to prevent Zorrilla from being defeated. The Athletic striker, who excelled against this rival and in this situation, sealed the tie with a goal in an acrobatic position with just a minute left before the final whistle. The locals took the lead around the 79th minute with a goal from Moro that left plenty of lions on display.
Pezzolano’s overly conservative bet for Valladolid almost paid off. The Lions, with several key changes to their starting eleven, took the initiative in the game, but ran into a solid defensive opponent and their own weakness. The rojiblancos hardly created any danger against an opponent who stood up from the center kick with a defense of five, an average of four and a single forward.
All this against an Athletic team accused, above all, of the loss of Iñaki Williams. His brother, despite trying all the time, never had his night. Nico Serrano, starter this time, neither. By Berenguer, by Djaló. Coincidence or not, but the fact is that the team greatly appreciates the inclusions of Galarreta and Guruzeta. On the offensive level, more opportunities were created. The defense, however, exploded with a poor defensive game that albivioleta took advantage of to get on the scoreboard first.
With eleven minutes remaining and added time, the lions, then yes, went crazy and surrounded a tight local defense. Red and white persistence paid off. Guruzeta did not miss his appointment with the Zorrilla goal.
Six changes
Pezzolano introduced three new additions to his starting eleven and changed his playing system. The Uruguayan coach inserted Juma Bah into a defense five and left Juric and Kike Pérez playing in wide areas of midfield with Moro and Anuar more open on the wing and Sylla as the lone forward. So Valladolid tried to be stronger, especially at the level of containment.
Valverde moved his bench further after last Thursday’s European match in Bulgaria. The rojiblanco coach made half a dozen changes to his lineup. De Marcos, Yeray and Adama came in at the back, Jauregizar in midfield and Nico Serrano, with Iñaki Williams absent from the list due to injury, and Unai Gómez showed more with Nico Williams sticking to the left wing and Berenguer as a striker.
The locals are comfortable with their clear 5-4-1. Due to their effectiveness at the back, they were also able to double down in attack and force Agirrezabala to intervene, successfully, even on several occasions before the 12th minute when a general whistle sounded from local fans chanting “Ronaldo leave” .
The Lions then had their best chance to open the scoring. Nico Williams, after a good break from Berenguer, stood alone against Hein, but crossed the ball too far. A red card for Beñat Prados that the referee, after going to VAR, left it yellow and Moro’s play at the end of half-time was the highlight of a dull and difficult first half.
Valverde took advantage of the intermission to move the bench. Galarreta and Vesga therefore entered for the cautioned Jauregizar and Prados in the double pivot and Djaló replaced Unai Gómez to act as center forward in Berenguer a few meters behind. Athletic controlled the match against an increasingly retreating Pucelano team.
The match setting barely changed as the minutes ticked by, so the changes continued. Guruzeta stepped in for a Berenguer who asked for a change. Iván Sánchez and Marcos André did the same for the local team. Djaló and Guruzeta had chances to open the scoring, but it was Moro who took advantage of a collective error by Bilbao’s defense to open the scoring.
The lions had just over ten minutes left to react. Valverde forced the situation by introducing Martón and, when everything was pointing to defeat, Guruzeta took advantage of a ball challenged by Galarreta to tie the score. Lesser evil for a red and white team about to bend the knee.
VALLADOLID
11
ATHLETIC
Valladolid:Hey Luis Pérez, Juma Bah, Javi Sánchez, David Torres; Raúl Moro (Cömert, 88), Juric (Meseguer, m.88), Anuar (Iván Sánchez, m.61), Lucas Rosa; Kike Pérez (Mario Martín, m.75), Sylla (Marcos André, m.61).
Athletic: Agirrezabala; De Marcos, Yeray, Paredes, Adama; Jauregizar (Ruiz de Galarreta, m.46), Prados (Vesga, m.46); Nico Serrano (Martón, m.80), Unai Gómez (Djalo, m.46), Williams Jr; Berenguer (Guruzeta, m.63).
Objectives: 1-0, M.79: Raúl Moro. 1-1, M.93, Guruzeta.
Referee: Adrián Cordero Vega (Cantabrian Committee). He advised locals Anuar (m.19), David Torres (m.72), Mario Martín (m.78), Cömert (m.89), and visitors Jauregizar (m.26), Prados (m.39) , Vesga (m.65), Martón (m.89).
Events: Match corresponding to the thirteenth day of LaLiga EA Sports, played at the José Zorrilla stadium in front of 23,515 spectators. Before the meeting began, a minute’s silence was observed in honor of the victims and victims of DANA
see the match sheet
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.
