Athletic advance in the Cup and give their youngsters a chance

“Athletic have a future”: the Cup outing brought that idea into focus. The club comfortably progressed through the first knockout round, then made room for its youngsters after the break. The match therefore combined a first half with several goals and a second in which a number of young players got onto the pitch.

Maroan and Robert Navarro opened up a gap around the half-hour mark. Gustavo Reinke then made it 1-2, before Nico Serrano scored the third goal of the night. Athletic went into the interval with greater peace of mind and ultimately came through the first round comfortably.

The second half brought a change in the players used, with the youngsters taking over. Edin Terzic sent Imga, Aritz Conde and Vizcay on at the hour mark at Municipal de L’Hospitalet. Selton joined them in the closing part of the match. All four made good use of their playing time. The sequence gave a tangible dimension to the evening’s theme: alongside progressing to the next round, Athletic were able to see several young players in match action.

That opportunity for the younger players came as the club sat eighth in Liga with 12 points after nine matches. Its record in the competition was balanced: three wins, three draws and three defeats, with 12 goals scored and nine conceded. In their last five Liga matches, Athletic had won one, drawn three and lost one. The Cup provided another setting for the team, while the league figures placed the club in mid-table. Above all, the evening combined progress through the opening round with playing time for four youngsters, in a match where the goals had already given Athletic momentum before half-time.