Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Club Bilbao 1-0 away to move into third place in La Liga on Saturday night.
Antoine Griezmann’s goal two minutes into the second half was enough to decide a game of few chances, although the home side pressed Atletico hard in the last 15 minutes.
Jan Oblak had to leave the pitch with a shoulder injury and his substitute Ivo Grbic made one excellent save to deny Inigo Martinez, while Reinildo Mandava made a vital block to frustrate Raul Garcia with just two minutes left after the referee allowed 10 minutes of injury time.
A combination of a magnificent goal from Nemanja Gudelj and a series of magnificent saves from goalkeeper Bono were enough to give Sevilla a 1-0 win away to Mallorca.
Gudelj’s 53rd-minute shot from around 30 meters was Sevilla’s only shot on target all game and although Mallorca threw everything at Jorge Sampaoli’s side, Bono was able to produce a string of saves to give his side just their second win of the campaign.
Cristhian Stuani held his nerve to net an injury time penalty to save a point for Girona at home to Cadiz.
Alex Fernandez put Cadiz ahead at the start of the second half, and the visitors had keeper Jeremias Ledesma to thank for keeping them ahead until Stuani broke their hearts in the 11th minute of injury time.
Jorge Almiron started his second spell in charge of Elche with a 2-2 away to Valencia.
Edinson Cavani scored twice for Valencia in the 41st and 52nd minutes, while Pere Milla had put Elche ahead in the 29th minute and leveled the score in the 65th.
Real Madrid will entertain FC Barcelona in El Clasico on Sunday afternoon in the biggest game of the weekend.
La Liga side Athletic Club Bilbao have confirmed the signing of former Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Ander Herrera eight years after he left the club to move to Old Trafford.
Athletic confirm that Herrera will play this season on loan from PSG, with the club having the right to make the move permanent for the 2023-24 season.
The 33-year-old returns to the club he originally joined in 2011, before moving to Old Trafford in 2014 when Manchester United paid his 36 million euros release clause.
He spent five successful years with Manchester United and made 189 appearances for the club, before moving to PSG in 2019.
Although his first season was spoiled by injury, he played 95 times for the French giants. However, the arrival of new coach Christophe Galtier this summer saw him fall out of favor and he wasn’t included in any of their matchday squads and forced to train apart from the rest of his teammates, as the club looked to move him on.
Contact with Athletic began several weeks ago, but the move was delayed as Herrera negotiated a payment for the two years left on his contract.
Herrera’s last season with Athletic in 2013-2014 coincided with the start of incumbent Ernesto Valverde’s second period in the dugout and the club which only signs players born or raised in the Basque region of northern Spain, finished fourth in La Liga and qualified for a place in the Champions League.
MADRID, July 4 (Xinhua) — Ernesto Valverde commenced his third reign in charge of Athletic Club Bilbaoa as the club returned to pre-season training on Monday.
Valverde returns with an aim of guiding the Spanish club back to European football for the first time since he left in 2017.
Valverde returns after leading FC Barcelona to two league titles in 2018 and 2019 and the 2018 Copa del Rey, but was sacked after Barca (who were top of LaLiga at the time) lost to Atletico Madrid in the semi-final of the Spanish Supercup in January 2020, and has not worked since.
The 58-year-old former player agreed to return to Athletic if either Jon Uriarte or Ricardo Barkala won the recent vote for the club presidency on March 24th and has signed a one-year contract after Uriarte’s decisive win at the poll of club members.
He replaces Marcelino Garcia Toral, who just missed out on leading Athletic to a place in Europe last season with an eighth-place finish and who then ended his 18-month tenure as his contract expired at the end of June.
Valverde will be reunited with several players from his previous four-year spell in which he led the club to a place in Europe every season. Iker Muniain, Oscar de Marcos, Mikel Balenziaga, Inaki Williams, Raul Garcia and Mikel Vesga are all survivors from his last first team squad.
Athletic on Sunday confirmed that striker Gorka Guruzeta had returned to the club on a two-year contract after impressing in the Liga SmartBank (second division) by scoring 13 goals for relegated Amorebieta, while three B-team players, Luis Bilbao, Malcolm and Benat Gerenobarrena will take part in pre-season training with the first team and defender Imanol Garcia de Albeniz will also get his chance after an impressive loan spell with second division Mirandes.
Inigo Vicente, who also spent last season at Mirandes, and Inigo Cordoba, who was loaned to the Dutch side, Go Ahead Eagles, have both been told they can look for a new club as they don’t enter into Valverde’s plans for the coming season as he looks to trim the squad down to 24 or 25 players.
The Basque side kick off the 2022-23 campaign with home games against Mallorca and Valencia with Europe their main aim for the season.
Spanish coach Ernesto Valverde has been appointed new Athletic Club Bilbao manager after Jon Uriarte was elected as the new club president of the La Liga club on Friday.
The 47-year-old businessman beat two other candidates (Jon Barkala and Inaki Arechabaleta) after winning just over 46 percent of the votes cast by Athletic’s club members, while Arechabaleta obtained 33.9 percent and Barkala at 18.11 percent.
Valverde, who has not worked since being harshly sacked by FC Barcelona in January 2020, on Wednesday had committed himself to return for a third spell at Athletic if either Uriarte or Barkala won the election.
Argentinean Marcelo Bielsa would have been the coach had Arechabaleta been elected. Bielsa had coached Athletic between 2011 and 2013 and gave an in-depth presentation of his vision of the club on Monday.
A former Athletic player, Valverde first led the club between 2003 and 2005, qualifying for the UEFA Cup on one occasion, while his second spell lasted for four years between 2013 and 2017, leading them to the Champions League in his first year back in charge and a place in the Europa League in the following three years.
Raúl García wrote his name in the LaLiga Santander record books this weekend, as he became the third-highest appearance maker in the division’s history. By featuring for Athletic Club against Valencia CF at San Mamés on Saturday, the 35-year-old reached 551 games and surpassed Real Madrid legend Raúl González Blanco.
He is now behind only current Real Betis winger Joaquín, who has played in 597 games, and behind Andoni Zubizarreta, the former Athletic Club, FC Barcelona and Valencia CF goalkeeper who played 621 times in the competition.
The Athletic Club player hit a new milestone on Saturday, overtaking Raúl González Blanco by playing his 551st game in Spain’s top division.
Raúl García has been playing in the Spanish top flight since 2004, representing CA Osasuna, Atlético de Madrid and Athletic Club, and applying himself with relentless energy across these three clubs that particularly value sweat and hard work.
A LaLiga Santander champion in 2013/14
The highlight of his LaLiga Santander career to date was winning the title with Atleti in the 2013/14 season, playing a key role for Diego Simeone’s side as they triumphed for the first time since 1996. Raúl García netted two crucial goals during the run-in, securing the team vital 1-0 wins over Villarreal CF and Valencia CF in April. He headed home from a corner against the Submarino Amarillo and repeated the trick against Los Che, cleverly nodding Gabi’s cross over goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.
His aerial ability is a key tenet of his game and he is always a combative and aggressive presence for defenders to deal with, which is one of the reasons Simeone chose to deploy him as a false nine – a position he has often featured in since – or a wider forward. His versatility has made him hard to drop, given he can always help in whichever area the team needs support.
In total, he notched 17 goals in 53 games across all competitions that 2013/14 season, including four in the Champions League as Atlético de Madrid also reached the final of that tournament, where they were beaten by rivals Real Madrid.
Starting off with his hometown club
Before heading to Atlético de Madrid in 2007, Raúl García broke through at hometown club CA Osasuna, becoming a fixture in the team by the 2005/06 season. Remarkably, the side finished fourth, something they previously achieved in 1990/91.
Born in Pamplona, he was one of the many local footballers to come through at CA Osasuna’s prestigious Tajonar academy.
After his Atleti transfer in 2007, he later spent one more season back at CA Osasuna, playing on loan there in 2011/12, before returning to make himself a key player in Simeone’s schemes.
He won the 2012/13 Copa del Rey with Atlético de Madrid, as well as the 2014 Spanish Super Cup, the 2009/10 Europa League, and the 2010 and 2012 UEFA Super Cups.
Seven years in Bilbao
In 2015, he moved to the Basque country, signing for Athletic Club, the team that has been his home for the last seven seasons.
“We know he’s a team player above all,” said then-Athletic Club coach Ernesto Valverde, shortly after he arrived, keen to highlight Raúl García’s versatility and determination. “He’s a hard-worker who fits well into the team dynamics and, from a tactical point of view, he is very good. He can play as a midfielder, he can also play on the wing, as he sometimes did at Atlético, and even as a centre-forward.”
Across each campaign with Athletic Club, he has reached at least 30 LaLiga Santander appearances, remaining an essential presence and becoming a fan favourite.
His finest year on a numerical front was the 2019/20 season when he scored 15 goals in 35 LaLiga Santander games, with Athletic Club also finishing as Copa del Rey runners up.
Raúl García’s legendary status is even admired by opponents. In the Copa del Rey clash with CD Alcoyano in January 2021, various players asked the midfielder to swap his shirt. As he only had two available at the game, he later sent 20 extra shirts with his name and number on the back to the Valencian side.
“All the values that a footballer should have, Raúl García has them, and he puts them at the service of the team as a collective,” said Athletic Club coach Marcelino García Toral in January 2021.
With high praise like that it’s no surprise Raúl García has been a player all his coaches have relied on since his breakthrough, allowing him to hit this new milestone.
The LaLiga title may be out of reach for FC Barcelona this season but a Champions League qualification should do a world of good for a club that looked completely lost just a few months ago.
And Barcelona will be looking to continue their improved form under Xavi Hernandez when they entertain Athletic Club Bilbao in the Camp Nou Stadium on Sunday night.
Barca go into the game with their morale high after a 4-1 win in Valencia last Sunday, followed by an impressive 4-2 victory away to Napoli on Thursday, which saw them qualify for the last-16 of the Europa League.
Those wins imply that the team is starting to show the consistency that has been lacking in some of their displays, while the January signings, Adama Traore, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Dain Alves (although he didn’t play in the last two matches) have certainly improved the side.
Playing on Thursday may leave the Barca players with tired legs ahead of the game, but Xavi has options to rotate his side with Gavi, Nico Gonzalez and Ousmane Dembele all options after watching much of Thursday’s game from the bench.
Although Barca sit 15 points behind Real Madrid in the table, club president Joan Laporta said on Friday that he still doesn’t rule out the chance of winning the title, although assuring a place in next season’s Champions League looks like a more realistic goal.
Athletic Club travel to the Camp Nou after thrashing local rivals Real Sociedad 4-0 last weekend and they need points to strengthen their own hopes of playing in Europe next season.
The Basque side also have one eye on Wednesday’s return leg of the Copa del Rey in Valencia and the club have publicly complained that Valencia, who play on Saturday, have 31 hours longer to prepare for a season-defining game (as they also had in the first leg).
That lack of preparation means coach Marcelino Garcia Toral will make some changes to the side likely to start in the Cup with Oier Zarraga, Nico Serrano, Inigo Lekue and perhaps Mikel Balenziaga all starting, while regular starters such as Inaki Williams and Iker Muniain are rested.
Athletic knocked Barca out of the last-16 of the Cup after outplaying them in January and this should show just how much Barca have improved.
Athletic Club Bilbao have qualified for the semifinals of the Copa del Rey for the fourth consecutive season after beating nemeses Real Madrid.
Alex Berenguer’s 89th-minute gave Athletic Club Bilbao a 1-0 win at home to Real Madrid to add to their 3-2 win over Barcelona in the previous round.
The game looked to be heading for extra time when the winger collected the ball on the edge of the Madrid area to slot the ball past Thibaut Courtois in the Madrid goal.
It was what Athletic deserved after dominating the league leaders, who had beaten them three times previously this season.
The first half saw Athletic look to keep the pressure on Real Madrid high up the field and they created several chances with Dani Garcia seeing one shot saved by Thibaut Courtois and another deflected out for one of several corners.
Nico Williams was causing problems down the Real Madrid left flank and he saw a shot blocked, before Iker Muniain fired into the side netting, before Rodrygo hit Real Madrid’s only shot of the half straight at Athletic keeper Julen Aguirezabala.
Eder Militao then produced a great block when Nico looked as if was in on goal before Athletic suffered a setback on the stroke of halftime when the younger of the Williams brothers was forced off with a hamstring injury.
Berenguer replaced Williams for a tense second half with few chances as both sides defended magnificently, but the substitute would be decisive to make it fourth time lucky for the Basques, who lost the last two cup finals.
In Thursday’s second semifinal Betis enjoyed a crushing 4-0 win away to Real Sociedad with two goals from former Real Sociedad striker, Juanmi after 12 and 57 minutes, before a penalty from Willian Jose, another former player for the home side and an 87th-minute goal from Aitor Ruibal wrapped up a win that was much easier than expected.
Valencia and Rayo Vallecano booked their semifinal spots after beating Mallorca and Cadiz on Wednesday night.
Athletic Club Bilbao are in to the quarterfinals of the Copa del after kncoking out Barcelona Thursday night.
Athletic avenged last season’s Cup final defeat in style with a 3-2 win in the San Mames Stadium.
Iker Muniain’s penalty at the end of the first period of extra-time finally earned Athletic a place in the quarterfinals, after Barcelona had twice come back from a goal down, with their second equalizer coming with just seconds on the clock.
Only two minutes into the game, Nico Williams was set into space by Dani Garcia and although his low cross fell just behind Oihan Sancet, it met Iker Muniain who curled the ball past Marc Andre Ter Stegen and into the corner of the net.
Athletic were pressuring Barca high up the pitch and Barca left-back was struggling to contain the younger of the Williams brothers, whose pace was a constant threat.
Barca came into the game more as the half progressed and Ferran Torres ended their best move of the game with a drilled shot past Julen Aguirrezabala into the corner of the Athletic goal.
The sparked Athletic back into life in a thrilling first half, with Nico drawing a good save from Ter Stegen, who reacted well to deny Raul Garcia as the home side forced a string of corners just before halftime.
Athletic continued to have the better of things in the second half, but it wasn’t until the 85th minute that Inigo Martinez put them back in front, with the defender scrambling the ball over the line after Alex Berenguer had headed Iker Muniain’s free-kick across the face of goal.
That looked as if it would see Athletic through, but Pedri scored with just over a minute to play, firing the ball through a crowd of players to take the game into injury time.
Both Pedri and Ansu Fati would then suffer injuries as Barca paid a heavy price for their efforts, with Ansu leaving the pitch almost in tears after his latest setback.
The decisive moment came at the end of the first period of extra time when Jordi Alba handled Nico Williams’ cross and after a VAR check, the referee pointed to the spot. Muniain sent Ter Stegen the wrong way from the spot and although there were still 15 minutes to play, there was way back this time for Barca.
In Thursday’s other last-16 tie, Real Madrid progressed to the quarter-finals after coming back from a goal down to win 2-1 away to Elche in a game that went into extra time.
Gonzalo Verdu put Elche ahead from a free kick in the 103rd minute after Marcelo was sent off for a professional foul, but Isco drew Madrid level five minutes later and Eden Hazard scored the winning goal in the 113th minute.
Elche had a late equalizer ruled out and Pere Milla was sent off for his protests as Real Madrid went through.
The weekend kicks off on Friday night as winless Levante entertains Athletic Club Bilbao as LaLiga returns to action after the international break.
But Xavi Hernandez’s debut as FC Barcelona coach in its city derby at home to Espanyol is without doubt the focal point in the 14th round of matches.
Xavi was appointed almost a fortnight ago, but has had little time to work with his full squad due to the international commitments of key players, however, in the time he has had available, it seems the 41-year-old has laid down some ground rules regarding off-field commitments.
He has promised a high-pressing, aggressive football and Saturday’s derby is the first chance fans have to see what the club has been doing on the training ground and whether he makes any changes to the side’s used by Ronald Koeman and Sergi Barjuan.
Ansu Fati, Sergino Dest and Martin Brathwaite are sidelined along with the impressive Nico Gonzalez to limit Xavi’s options, while Pedri and Ousmane Dembele are major doubts for the game.
Espanyol crosses town after a solid start to the campaign and with Raul de Tomas their clear threat in attack after his seven league goals.
The weekend kicks off on Friday night as winless Levante entertains Athletic Club Bilbao, who will have Inigo Martinez and Unai Vencedor back after their surprise defeat to Cadiz before the break.
Celta and Villarreal kick off Saturday, with both sides aiming to build on positive results before the break, although Villarreal will be without injured winger Yeremy Pino for the trip north.
10 points from a possible 12 have lifted Alaves away from the bottom three, but Javier Calleja’s side has a difficult visit to third place Sevilla, who would temporarily go top of the table if they take all three points.
Atletico Madrid’s preparation for the weekend has been complicated by the late arrival of their south American internationals and that could influence Diego Simeone’s team selection for their game at home to Osasuna, who has only lost one game away from home this season.
Bottom of the table Getafe looks for their second win of the season when they face Cadiz on Sunday, before Real Madrid travels to Granada.
Gareth Bale has fallen victim to another muscle injury and is unavailable, while Fede Valverde and Rodrygo are doubtful as Real Madrid prepares to visit the south of Spain.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side has won but not convinced, in recent games and has looked suspect in defense, although Granada is in a delicate position just above the relegation zone after losing to Espanyol before the international break and a heavy defeat could cost Roberto Moreno his job as first team coach.
Betis went into the break on the end of three successive defeats and will have central defender Guido Rodriguez suspended after his sending off in their 2-0 defeat to Sevilla, however, if they can keep Elche striker Lucas Boye quiet, they have a good chance of taking all three points from a side in the bottom three.
Sunday’s last game sees league leaders Real Sociedad at home to Valencia, with the team from San Sebastian hoping that striker and captain, Mikel Oyarzabal will be available after two months out with a hamstring injury.
The round of matches ends on Monday when Rayo Vallecano, who is without the injured Radamel Falcao, plays at home to Mallorca.
Villarreal suffered their first away defeat of the season in the hands Athletic Club Bilbao who claimed a 2-1 win Saturday.
The match was held in the San Mames Stadium that was close to capacity for the first time since March 2020.
Raul Garcia put Athletic ahead from Inaki Williams’ cross in the 14th minute, but Francis Coquelin’s deflected effort leveled the score in the 32nd minute.
Man of the match Iker Muniain won the game from the penalty spot in the 77th minute after Unai Vencedor had been fouled by Alberto Moreno and it would have been 3-1 a couple of minutes later but Villarreal keeper Geronimo Rulli did well to stop a second spot kick taken by Alex Berenguer to assure a nervy finish.
Valencia came back from 2-0 down at home to Mallorca to claim a point with two goals in injury time.
Angel Rodriguez and a Mouchtar Diakhaby own goal put Valencia on the ropes in the first half, but Kang In Lee, who set up Angel for the opener, had a rush of blood 10 minutes into the second half and left his side with 10 men.
Mallorca still looked as if they were going to hang on, but they got nervous when Goncalo Guedes fired home from long range in the 92nd minute and Jose Luis Gaya’s close range finished earned Valencia a point in the 98th minute
Two goals from striker Joselu, the first of which came from the penalty spot after just six minutes, gave Alaves their first away win of the season and just their second victory of the entire campaign, as Javi Calleja’s side won 2-0 away to Cadiz.
Elche and Espanyol shared four goals with Manu Morlanes and Raul de Tomas netting goals within 2 minutes on 51 and 52 minutes to cancel out Lucas Boye’s first half opener for Elche, who claimed a point with Dario Bernadetto’s 84th minute equalizer.
Cadiz slip deeper into trouble after failing to win in their last seven home games.
Friday night saw Osasuna go second in the table with a 1-1 draw at home to Granada, but the team from Pamplona will be disappointed after Granada scored a 90th minute equalizer from Angel Moreno to cancel out Chimy Avila’s opener on the stroke of halftime.
Osasuna ended with 10 men after left back Jose Angel ‘Cote’ was sent off with 16 minutes left to play.