Athletic Club recorded their first clean sheet in eight outings at the San Mamés Stadium, narrowly overcoming Osasuna with a 1-0 victory, bringing them to within a point of the top seven in LaLiga.
While the home side remained in the hunt for European qualification ahead of this clash, a streak of four defeats in five LaLiga matches had significantly hampered their chances. Conversely, Osasuna had managed just one win in their previous six games, and they were clearly outperformed during the first half.
Los Leones were not at their best either, but they broke the deadlock around the 15-minute mark after having a penalty in the fourth minute, awarded for a handball by Lucas Torro, overturned.
Nico Williams played a crucial role, forcing Sergio Herrera into a save before Gorka Guruzeta pounced on the rebound to score.
Opportunities were scarce for both teams prior to half-time, although Alex Berenguer nearly found the bottom corner with a low strike from inside the box as the break approached.
The half-time interval provided Osasuna coach Alessio Lisci with a chance to motivate his players, and it appeared to have the desired effect.
Ante Budimir created the best opportunity for Osasuna just five minutes into the second half but directed his overhead kick wide of the target.
After that, Osasuna were awarded a penalty of their own when Yerry Alvarez handled Flavien Boyomo’s flick towards goal. This decision did not go to VAR, however, Budimir was unable to convert from the spot, with Unai Simon making a comfortable save before gathering the rebound.
Ultimately, Osasuna lacked potency in the final third, although Simon did have to react sharply to push Budimir’s header onto the post, preserving his team’s narrow advantage.
Despite being down to ten men following Mikel Jauregizar’s red card for Athletic at the beginning of an added eight minutes, Los Rojillos could not find a late equaliser, and this result saw them slip below Athletic into tenth place, jeopardising their European aspirations.
Meanwhile, Athletic Club will remain optimistic about their chances of securing a European spot, although a challenging fixture awaits them next as they travel to Atlético Madrid.
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