Villarreal come away with a point from their visit to Athletic Club in San Mamés; in a clash with no goals but a heavy rainfall which had the main say in the match. Marcelino’s side played seriously and put in a solid defensive performance. With the draw, the Yellows maintain their gap of ten points above the Basque side, one of their direct rivals for the Champions League spot.
Although the game started at a high tempo with both sides having two clear chances, the initial intensity deteriorated as the game went on. In the 1st minute, Soldado was through on goal after a perfect ball played by Denis Suárez, but his shot was saved by the Basque goalkeeper.
The second half started enthusiastically, but neither team could create anything. With strong rain over San Mamés the ball moved quickly across the pitch, for this reason both teams opted to defend deep to cover their backs.
Seven minutes from the end, Villarreal had another great chance. It was Bruno who started the move, putting Denis Suárez through down the left wing who subsequently set up Soldado, however he had his great shot saved by a well positioned Iraizoz .
Line-ups:
Athletic Club: Iraizoz; Lekue, Bóveda, Laporte, Balenziaga; San José (Iturraspe, 86’), Beñat, Susaeta (Sabin, 62’), Eraso (Muniain, 70’), Williams and Aduriz.
Villarreal CF: Areola; Mario, Musacchio (Bonera, 71’), Víctor Ruiz, Jaume Costa; Jonathan (Castillejo, 77’), Bruno, Trigueros, Denis Suárez; Bakambu (Baptistao, 46’) and Soldado.
Referee: Mario Melero López (Andalucia). Cautioned: San José (40’), Lekue (59’), Sabin (67’) and Muniain (90’) from Athletic Club and Jaume Costa (26’), Bakambu (39’), Soldado (74’), Víctor Ruiz (75’) and Bonera (76’) from Villarreal. Sent off: Williams (89’) and Bonera (93’) for two yellow cards.
Further Information: Match in correspondence with Day 23 of Liga BBVA against el Athletic Club and Villarreal, played in the Estadio San Mamés in Bilbao.
