Espanyol Secures Determined Victory at Athletic's Stadium

In the 17th round of the Spanish Championship, "Athletic" hosted a resurgent "Espanyol" at home. Early in the match, Andoni Gorosabel intercepted the ball from Leandro Cabrera in the opponent's half, burst into the penalty area from the right flank, and unleashed a powerful strike to the far bottom corner, but the goalkeeper deflected it with his foot.

Soon after, Iñigo Ruiz gained possession of a loose ball just outside the penalty area, and his shot from 19 meters aimed for the bottom left corner. The goalkeeper was beaten, but the ball narrowly missed the post. In the 38th minute, Iñaki Williams broke through the left side of the penalty area and sent a cross to the center for Álex Berenguer.

Berenguer took a precise shot from 14 meters, but the goalkeeper managed to save it while diving. During the continuation of the play, the ball rebounded towards the goal area line, and Berenguer reached it ahead of Omar El Hilali, finishing from close range to beat the goalkeeper — 1:0.

Shortly after, "Espanyol" earned a free kick on the left wing. Following a pass by Edu Expósito, the hosts cleared the ball to the center, where Carlos Romero struck it first-time from 19 meters into the bottom left corner — 1:1. At the start of the second half, Tyrese Dolan received the ball on the right wing, outmaneuvered Adam Boyro, and delivered an excellent low cross into the center of the goal area.

Pere Milla got to the ball before the goalkeeper and converted from close range under the crossbar — 1:2. Later, Mikel Jauregi crossed from the left to the center, where Gorka Guruzeta managed to get ahead of his defender, but his header from a favorable position went slightly over the bar.

In another episode, Roberto Navarro accelerated an attack from the left, delivering a cross to the center of the penalty area. The goalkeeper mishandled the ball, dropping it to Unai Gómez, but his shot from 10 meters soared far over the open goal. The fifth consecutive victory allowed "Espanyol" to secure fifth place in the league standings.

"Athletic," meanwhile, remains in joint seventh place along with other rivals. Final score: "Athletic" — "Espanyol" 1:2 (1:0).

Goals: Álex Berenguer (38) — Carlos Romero (44), Pere Milla (52). Read “Zamin” on Telegram!