The mess was served at San Mamés even before the match started. The tribute to the World champions, Unai Simón, Nico Williams, Laporte, and Luis de la Fuente, was resolved in a draw amid boos and applause. And that disagreement in the stands, which acts as a sort of chorus in Greek tragedy, the one that warns, guides, measures, and settles, translated into a disoriented Athletic that paid dearly for the mistakes. Sevilla did not forgive, and the three points went to Nervión, sealing a full victory in these first two rounds.
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The initial uproar took its toll on an Athletic that came out with the intention of putting distance between themselves and the disagreement as soon as possible: bite, intention, and desire. Although it was not long before it was clear that this intensity was more a product of nerves. Two Sevilla attacks right at the start against a home team that faltered in defense left the stands with their hearts in their mouths. And when it seemed that the red-and-whites were calming down by stopping, tempering, and controlling, a ball behind the defense that Unai Simón and Paredes failed to understand left Miguel Sierra with a clear chance. Yuri’s charge and a straight red card. It was the 11th minute. Four minutes later, an error by Unai Simón, after receiving a charge in Sevilla’s high press, left the ball perfectly for Oso, who scored the first for the Andalusians. And another uproar. But this time there was unanimity: a deafening booing of referee César Soto, who received what was due for his decisions and the extra frustration and accumulated tension.
The ghost of last year, when Athletic couldn’t find their rhythm, began to appear. The hope of regaining hope, this time with the boost of a new coach, was falling into lethargy. But by order of those strange laws of football, just as in life some things are only learned through blows, with one less player and behind on the scoreboard, the best minutes of Terzic’s team arrived. With the courage of someone who has everything against them and with the distribution of play from the double pivot composed of Gere and Peio Canales, who debuted in the starting eleven after being loaned to second division teams, Athletic began to enjoy themselves. Canales had a chance in the 29th minute when he hit a beautiful volley that ended up skimming the post after hitting a defender. High pressure, playing in the opponent’s half, and stealing balls as high up as possible. It seemed to work, although that pace at this point in the season was a risky bet. Kill or die or, at least, die fighting was the premise.
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During halftime, the stadium’s wifi stopped working. Definitely, it was not the day at San Mamés. In ten minutes of the second half, the worst of the omens came true. Two Sevilla counterattacks resulted in goals by Ejuke and Romero. It was the 57th minute, and a slight line of fans already occupied the stadium aisles. Sevilla closed up at the back, Paredes scored in the 70th, Athletic pressed, but there was no turning back. At the final whistle, the TV screens in the press room remained dark; it is not ruled out that someone’s annoyance caused the short circuit.
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| Position | PT | PJ | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Position | PT | PJ | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
