Athletic misses a golden opportunity against Leganés

The ‘pepinero’ team could have taken the three points if any of the players had entered two balls to the post that Miguel de la Fuente and Munir El Haddadi sent in a second half in which the Argentine Julián Chicco also enjoyed a one-on-one against Unai Simón, who imposed his international status in the play.

Nevertheless, The match was for Ernesto Vaverde, who greatly subdued Borja Jiménez’s men with thirty shots, up to 16 corner kicks and half a dozen good chances.

But neither team scored, Athletic remains nine points behind the leader Real Madrid, five behind the second, Atlético Madrid, and with a advantage of six over Villarreal. Leganés, for its part, escapes relegation by three points.

At the start, Valverde introduced up to seven changes to the team, six in the defensive structure and the return of Iñaki Williams to the eleven, with Sancet also back after injury but initially on the bench. Borja Jiménez, for his part, opted for Juan Cruz as a winger and brought Brasanac into a solid eleven that was able to hold his own in the first half against an Athletic team that came out determined for the game but lacked tact. and fortune on the good occasions he had.

Specifically, three clear ones. Three shots in the area in which Vivián, Guruzeta and Berenguer lacked finesse in their shots in minutes 8, 25 and 45. Vivián’s volley at the edge of the area, from a corner kick, was very good, although deflected.

More deficient were the headers of his teammates. Guru’s, aesthetic and already a beautiful center of Yeray, went high; and Berenguer’s shot, from point-blank range and on the edge of the small area, from a very good cross from Gorosabel, crashed into Dmitrovic’s body.

They were not the only opportunities that Athletic enjoyed, which He did not stop causing corners, up to six, nor to seek to tickle the large rival defense of five men on the sides with the Williams and in the middle with the hyperactivity of Berenguer. The ‘Lega’, even giving the ball and the initiative to the locals, controlled the game well and, when they had it, possession without rushing.

If the first half ended busy with Berenguer’s header, the second got off to a great start and with a frenetic pace from area to area where they planned both 1-0 and 0-1.

As soon as it started, at 17 seconds, Vivián saved Leganés’ goal with a ball that cleared the desperate Brasanac who was going to finish off after Yuri, Yeray and Unai Simón got involved in front of Miguel de la Fuente. Athletic responded with three chances, two shots from Berenguer and one from Jauregizar. The most dangerous was Berenguer’s last one, who slipped in the first one.

He was not afraid Leganes and for the second time he was able to get ahead on the scoreboard. A header against the post from Miguel to a precise center from Raba. From there, with Yuri helping Nico Williams on the left wing, everything for a long time was under siege by the red and white team, although without clarity in the decisive zone. Where practically all the ‘lions’ struck again and again without success.

Those who had the most options were Yuri, in a free kick on the edge of the line that crashed into the barrier, and Vesga, in a Berenguer center that caught him badly. That dynamic almost of desperation from Athletic and Leganés’ Numantina resistance in the clash was diluted.

However, the blue and white still had a double chance. First a long shot from Munir that hit the crossbar and in the subsequent play a one-on-one between Chicco and Simón in which the international goal won.

And Leganés still had another very clear one, a header from Sergio González, from Oscar’s cross, which went wide to the forward. Athletic’s last hopes were lost in a poorly connected header by Williams, a weak shot by Serrano and a fall by Sancet that the referee did not consider punishable.