Thanks to goals from Oihan Sancet, including a hat-trick, and from Yeray lvarez, Athletic Club defeated Cádiz (4-1) on matchday 20 of LaLiga Santander, which was played this Friday in San Mamés. It was a very full match for Ernesto Valverde, who had to play almost the entire second half with one less after Yuri was sent off.
In their matchup against a Cádiz team that will play one more day in the relegation spots, the locals, who hadn’t won in the domestic championship since the start of play following the World Cup break, returned to the path of victory. For an Andalusian team that came prepared to battle, the outstanding performance of the rojiblanco youth team, who signed his hat-trick when they were outnumbered, was too much punishment.
Both clubs produced a hectic start in the opening match of LaLiga Santander’s second round, with chances for both goals. Although “Los Leones” initially presented a threat with a shot from Nico Williams that Ledesma blocked, the Cadista response quickly arrived from Bongonda, who ultimately slammed the ball into the side of the net.
When a mere ten minutes of play had passed, it was the turn of an Athletic, who this time did not fail. Sancet made a strong shot from within the box that just just allowed Luis Hernández to sneak between the sticks. The Andalusians knew how to respond despite the hit, and as a result of their persistence, they were able to tie the score after 25′.
Gonzalo Escalante took advantage of a brilliant play by Brian Ocampo on the baseline, leaving De Marcos, to arrive unmarked and push the ball into the back of the net in his first start since joining the team in yellow this winter. Sergio González’s team responded well, and they then started chatting about the ball with the locals.
However, San Mamés worked its magic, and “Los Leones” delivered the decisive blow before halftime. Sancet first scored both goals on the 35th minute following a defensive lapse by Cádiz in getting the ball out from behind, which he didn’t miss with a shot at the near post. Yeray then scored on the 43rd minute to cap off a perfectly executed lateral free kick by Iker Muniain.
The intensity was lowered for both teams equally in the second part. Despite Valverde’s team’s continued possession of the ball, the opposition would not give up and attempted again with a shot from Luis Hernández that Unai Simón brilliantly stopped. Yuri’s dismissal after receiving two yellow cards gave Cádiz the opportunity to turn to the opposing field, but they were unsuccessful in winning a prize.
As a result, despite their numerical disadvantage, the “Txingurri” closed ranks and avoided losing face to a party that they started to rule. After easily defeating Ledesma in a one-on-one match after utilizing a ball into space from Nico Williams, Sancet signed the sentence, which was the third in his own account.
In a spectacular game, “Lince” scored his seventh goal and recorded his second hat-trick while playing for Athletic Club. Then, emotionally defeated, Sergio González’s men started to lower their arms, but they still had one last opportunity, which ultimately resulted in them slamming into the post.