A goal from the youth squad Nico Serrano at 29 minutes It allowed Athletic to add an important victory in Vallecas, a stadium in which no one had managed to take all three points this season until now.
Marcelino García Toral could not count on one of his most decisive players, the captain Iker Muniain, positive for covid-19, and he played it by betting on Nico Serrano, a young 18-year-old from Navarra, from the subsidiary, who showed his credentials by knocking down the door of the first team with a magnificent goal.
It was in the 29th minute when he picked up a ball at the far post inside the area, placed the ball on his left leg and launched a left-footed volley that was unstoppable for Frenchman Luca Zidane.
That was the second warning from Athletic, which although it did not have excessive depth in attack when it prowled the Rayo area, it did create danger, as with the cross shot from Alex Berenguer from the front that went off the right side of the local goal.
The Madrid team, although they tried to take the initiative, did not have a fluid game that did too much damage to the visitors and the two clearest approaches in the first half were two long shots from Radamel Falcao and Alvaro Garcia.
final burdens
In the second half, Athletic was better in the early stages and enjoyed several very clear chances. One of them again with Nico Serrano as the protagonist, who launched his shot slightly over the crossbar, and another of Balenziaga that put Zidane to the test, who caught the ball well.
Athletic did not close the game when they could and ended up in the last minutes suffering the siege of Rayo, especially on the left flank commanded by Alvaro Garcia, who prowled the area of the Bilbao team with increasing danger.
Datasheet:
0 – Vallecano Ray: Zidane; Balliu, Catena, Saveljich, Fran Garcia; Isi Palazón (Baby, m.85), Comesaña, Pathé Ciss (Nteka, m.76), Álvaro; Trejo (Unai López, m.76); and Falcao (Sergi Guardiola, m.67).
1-Athletic Club Bilbao: Unai Simón; Lekue, Vivian, Iñigo Martínez, Balenziaga; Berenguer, Zarraga (Nico Williams, m.75), Dani García, Nico Serrano (Vesga, m.62); Raúl García (Yuri Berchiche, m.84) and Iñaki Williams.
Goals: 0-1: M.29 Nico Serrano.
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