The worst thing that can happen in football is when nobody talks about the ball. At San Mamés, for two hours, it seemed almost forgotten.
All eyes were on President Uriarte fielding questions about Terzic, the tribute to Valverde, Ruiz de Galarreta’s absence due to the birth of his second child, Nico’s hamstring injury sparking World Cup alarm, Sancet’s similar discomfort, Laporte’s substitution at half-time after a yellow card and the risk posed by the opponent’s pace. On the visitors’ bench, Corberán was rubbing his hands together. His plan was simple: keep things quiet, and for 70 minutes, that’s exactly what happened—mostly nothing, punctuated by stoppages, players on the ground after knocks, and Dimitrievski repeatedly taking center stage. His antics frustrated the home crowd. They were hoping for a counterattack or, as a fallback, a set piece. In the end, Plan A worked: a double mistake by Vivian allowed Sadiq to pounce and score cleverly. It came just as the Lions were trying to up the tempo and shake the game out of its slumber.
Terzic is believed to have watched from Germany, likely frowning at how disjointed Athletic looked. The visiting fans chanted “Valencia, show some guts” during the warm-up, and by the end, part of the home support’s animation section echoed with “Athletic, show some guts.” The tables turned in favor of Valencia, who created little in the opposition box, missed a penalty through Hugo Duro, but saw Umar find the net—not bad for such a tight contest. Sadiq seems motivated against Athletic; last year he scored an own goal and another that counted for nothing in the Copa quarterfinals. A great winter signing, he’s now the top scorer alongside Satriano (4 goals).
Those points are like a lifeline, propelling them toward survival. The mid-to-lower part of the table is so tight that they now sit just two points behind Athletic, even allowing dreams of bigger goals. For the Bilbao side, it’s a cold shower. They gladly accepted Rayo’s gift of an eighth-place European spot, along with many others in the same qualification race, but despite the mirage of their win against Alavés, they’re sending signals that they’re not up for too many challenges. The brake on that race toward the Conference League could be heard as far as Mestalla. That’s 17 defeats now, one short of the club record, and it’s crazy—only Oviedo has stumbled more, and that’s just once. This is an all-or-nothing team: either they go full throttle or get nowhere; with four or five draws, they’d be in the top half. Opponents keep hurting them with limited resources. A little is a lot for those facing them.
The Lions could barely find the rhythm of the match at any point. How they missed Galarreta’s compass. Valencia put on a masterclass in determination, organization, defensive concentration, and intensity. They won duels on sheer faith. They bided their time and waited for the opponent’s pressure before launching balls in behind. Athletic started with good feelings but gradually faded. Sancet and Guruzeta shot on goal but always found a solid leg from a very united group. What commitment! There were bursts and brakes, making it impossible to find a cruising speed. Corberán dragged the fight onto his turf, and the Lions were unable to read the score properly. The wingers didn’t press like the rest, and no one exploited the gaps.
