Noticia En Ingles

Athletic said goodbye to the Champions League in the worst possible way - with a feeling of alarming inferiority against Porto, who deserved to win. For Los Leones, the only option that remains is to finish above BATE and qualify for the Europa League. Not doing so would be a resounding failure.

There was a world of difference. Valverde has had enough to say that the Champions League is a very demanding competition because the teams do not save their players, that they do not think about the weekend. This did not appear to be in tune with his line-up. Admittedly Iturraspe deserves a break to sort out his ideas, Muniain does not have the explosivity for ninety minutes, but if Aduriz is missing, they have to use more attacking options to help Guillermo on the pitch. The youngster’s header against the post was the only threat for Fabiano.

The gamble of Beñat as a playmaker goes from failure to failure. Valverde already made it clear in Porto that he can only play as a pivot. But it is up top that Valverde betrayed himself with Ibai, who had rowed since Borisov. Knowing the physical deployment of the right-back Danilo, he exposed himself to a bad night. For one thing he placed him next to Susaeta in Do Dragao. And so arrived the penalty that was given away by Balenziaga (clear, although it is discussed) on the Brazilian, although Jackson skied it on the stroke of half-time. It was the third time the Colombian spared Athletic in a first half in which Lopetegui’s side should have taken a 2-0 lead, which they had at the end.

Brahimi, probing, produced a great move which left Ibai and Gurpegui trailing and forced Jackson to get to the ball. Then arrived the error from Iraizoz after a failure to receive the ball from Laporte. The former Granada man pushed the ball into the net. Athletic tried, more with the heart than with the head, hoping to score a goal and pushing with all their ships in the final stretch, but Porto were better and withheld without too many problems.

Athletic said goodbye to the Champions League, mathematically, and now will try to secure third place in Group H.

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