Berenguer keeps Athletic’s European dreams alive
The Basque side didn’t waste time in putting their opponents under pressure and needed just six times to break the deadlock via Inaki Williams, who headed Oscar de Marcos’ superb cross into the back of the net. Celta tried to turn things around following the goal and pushed forward, with Jorgen Strand Larsen being the team’s biggest threat in the absence of the injured Iago Aspas.
Celta then suffered another blow when Fran Beltran departed the game with an injury, but they still came close to grabbing an equaliser in the 32nd minute through Gabri Veiga’s beautiful strike from the edge of the box that was only denied by a strong Unai Simon save. Yuri Berchiche could have doubled Bilbao’s lead with a header but was denied by Iván Villar as they went into the break with a slender advantage.
The visitors made two half-time changes to mix things up, and those replacements gave them the impetus they needed as Strand Larsen scored the equaliser in the 50th minute with a header from a tight angle. Athletic, though, soon restored their lead through Alex Berenguer, who embarked on an impressive solo run before producing a composed finish from inside the box just four minutes later.
Berenguer could have then added a third, but his long-range effort rattled the post in the 70th minute. Celta introduced another attacking threat into the fray in Haris Seferovic, but the Swiss forward was unable to make an impact where it mattered.
Ultimately, the away side never looked like snatching a point and fell a sixth defeat in their last seven outings. Athletic, meanwhile, temporarily moved past Girona into seventh place in the LaLiga standings, keeping their European dreams alive as they also ended a four-game winless run.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Alex Berenguer (Athletic Bilbao)