Iñaki Williams makes the difference in Athletic’s “final”

Iñaki Williams delivered in a match the Athletic captain himself had called a “final”. His goal, scored in the 37th minute to make it 2-0, helped secure a victory that ended a four-match winless run. It also opened his scoring account for the season. Athletic also saw Imga and Vizcay make their debuts, while Vivian and Prados played their first minutes of the campaign.

The match took place at Ciutat de València, where Nico returned to the starting line-up after recovering from a muscular injury sustained while on international duty. He came close to opening the scoring in the 10th minute, but his curling effort drifted narrowly wide. Athletic had looked the stronger side in that spell, but still needed to find the finish.

Berenguer eventually broke the deadlock with a wide free kick that ended up in David Soria’s goal. After the half-hour mark, Williams extended the lead. Gere launched the counterattack, and Berenguer then set up the captain, who won his one-on-one with Soria by shooting inside the near post. Madrid players appealed for a foul on Gere at the start of the move.

Bordalás had noted Athletic’s problems in breaking down this system against Elche and Alavés. After making two changes at half-time, his side nevertheless conceded a third goal. Williams had already left the field by then, with Vizcay replacing him. The match therefore also gave the young substitute his debut.

The victory answered a difficult run for Athletic: three draws against Elche, Alavés and Valencia, followed by a defeat to Levante on the previous Wednesday. In that setting, Williams’s second goal gave substance to the advantage Berenguer had opened and delivered the decisive moment the captain had demanded.