Athletic 1-Espanyol 0: Fitness Makes the Difference

Athletic kicked off the season today and pulled out a win against Espanyol. I can’t say that this was a “flying start” for the team, but it is very clear that fitness made the difference today. Both teams created a lot of chances, but neither could finish. And who would have thought that the man who put the game away would be….Gaizka Toquero.

Admittedly, I only saw the second half, but I think that the second half tells the story of the game quite well. Once again, the teams both had many chances (I think there was something like 20 shots on goal between the two teams) but neither capitalized. The second half, though, is where toiling through the preseason paid off. Athletic clearly had an upper-hand if for no other reason than they had already played six competitive matches, and Toquero received a beautiful through ball from Javi Martinez which was nailed into the back of the net for the game’s only goal. Llorente had a similar chance a bit later in the game, but shot it over the bar- it looks like he still hasn’t quite hit his stride yet. If Toquero can do it, Llorente should be able to. In the second half, Espanyol were clearly more fatigued and looked content with the draw- Athletic were able to keep pushing until they finally cracked the Espanyol defense.

That’s really about it, I am pleased Athletic began the season with three points and even more pleased that Toquero managed to get himself on the scoresheet! Ustaritz played again today and did fine- glad to see that his poor performance from the Supercup didn’t spill over. The next game is actually another friendly on Sept. 2 against Sestao River Club, then the Lions will be back in La Liga away against Xerez on September 13. Four days later, our boys will take on Austria Wien in the Europa League group stage. I’m getting excited!

Category: Athletic Bilbao Team News

Tags: Athletic Bilbao Team News, Espanyol, Toquero

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