On matchday 17 of La Liga, Espanyol secured a crucial away victory against the Lions at San Mamés. The match was filled with excitement as Espanyol turned the tide and reversed the initial scoreline with two goals from Carlos Romero (43’ of the first half) and Pere Milla (7’ of the second half), after having gone down due to an early goal by Álex Berenguer (37th minute of the first half).
A highlight of the match was Carlos Romero’s goal in the 43rd minute. The defender struck the ball from the left, unleashing a powerful shot from outside the area that left goalkeeper Unai Simón without a chance, hitting the right post.
Despite dominating possession with 62%, Athletic Bilbao struggled to create significant chances to threaten Espanyol’s goal and ended up missing out on three points.
Pere Milla emerged as the standout player of the match. The Espanyol midfielder not only scored a goal but also completed 6 successful passes.
Álex Berenguer also made a significant impact for Athletic Bilbao, netting their only goal while delivering 55 accurate passes and attempting 4 shots on target.
In an impressive display, Espanyol defender Fernando Calero embarrassed Athletic’s Adama Boiro with a stunning nutmeg in the 59th minute of the second half.
Athletic Bilbao’s coach, Ernesto Valverde, set up his team in a 4-5-1 formation with Unai Simón in goal; Andoni Gorosabel, Iñigo Lekue, Aitor Paredes, and Adama Boiro in defense; Iñigo Ruiz, Mikel Jauregizar, Álex Berenguer, Oihan Sancet, and Nico Williams in midfield; and Iñaki Williams leading the attack.
Meanwhile, coach José González Álvarez deployed Espanyol in a similar 4-5-1 formation, with Marko Dmitrovic guarding the net; Omar el Hilali, Fernando Calero, Leandro Cabrera, and Carlos Romero in defense; Urko Gonzalez, Pol Lozano, Tyrhys Dolan, Edu Expósito, and Pere Milla in midfield; and Roberto Fernández up front.
The match was officiated by referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer.
In the upcoming fixtures, the Lions will visit Osasuna, while Espanyol will have a special encounter against their historic rivals, Barcelona, at the RCDE Stadium in the Catalan derby.
Currently, Athletic Bilbao sits in 8th place with 23 points, while Espanyol climbs to 5th place with 33 points in the tally.
Substitutions for Athletic Bilbao
74’ 2H – Andoni Gorosabel out for Jesús Areso
75’ 2H – Adama Boiro out for Unai Gómez
78’ 2H – Iñaki Williams out for Robert Navarro
Yellow Cards for Athletic Bilbao:
27’ 1H Iñigo Ruiz (Unsporting behavior)
32’ 1H Nico Williams (Unsporting behavior)
45’ 1H Andoni Gorosabel (Unsporting behavior)
34’ 2H Alejandro Rego (Holding an opponent to prevent advancement)
49’ 2H Iñigo Lekue (Insulting or disapproving of the referee)
Substitutions for Espanyol
56’ 2H – Pere Milla out for Jofre Carreras, Nico Williams out for Gorka Guruzeta, and Iñigo Ruiz out for Alejandro Rego
71’ 2H – Pol Lozano out for Kike García
82’ 2H – Carlos Romero out for Clemens Riedel and Edu Expósito out for Rubén Sánchez
83’ 2H – Tyrhys Dolan out for José Salinas
Yellow Cards for Espanyol:
31’ 2H Urko Gonzalez (Unsporting behavior) and 40’ 2H Clemens Riedel (Holding an opponent to prevent advancement)