Terzic's Athletic beats Atlético in San Mamés with a goal from Sancet in added time

Why change if the thing works. Why rack your brains when without a pure nine your team doesn't lose edge and gains presence in the middle. The storm doesn't always fall, although it is true that with Baena and Kang-In Lee everything should be easier, but not always. What is different is the arrival of David and, above all, the presence of Julián Álvarez on the team bench. His moment returned, and he was willing but entered with La Pandera's wall in front of him. Losing by two after a nap at the start of the second half, their forgiveness was not easy. [Narrative and statistics, 3-0]

It will be more difficult if those above continue at their level. Perhaps the Korean was better than the Spanish international. Beautiful was his cut to Yuri on a tile to break Unai Simón's post in the second minute of the game. Lee has the virtue of always or almost always choosing well. That, in today's football, is 90% elite player, the remaining 10% is talent and the Asian has it in abundance. The thing is that his companions did not start as in tune as in Seville, where they seemed like a cyclone, and the rival was not the same either.

Terzic's Athletic is a team with more pause than past versions and this season they will pray, as they do before each game in the locker room, perhaps because Oian Sancet stays healthy during the season. Also Nico, of course, with the pubic problems already a little forgotten. Without the demands of Europe, Basques have the option of maintaining better physical tone and a more focused head. The orphanhood left by Valverde is another factor for which it benefits not to have European distractions.

The first half found Atlético more crouched than in the Pizjuán and waiting to do more damage on the counterattack or with a steal on the ball like Hanko did and Baena finished at the hands of Simón. Meanwhile, the Basques wanted to show their local character, trying to control the game in the middle through Galarreta and Gerenabarrena and the spicy Sancet, who had the clearest shot in that period but was blocked by Llorente.

There were many alternatives in the game and intensity, despite the heat of this terrible summer schedule. But it cannot be said that both teams finished the dangerous actions with the desired clarity. In fact, when the first half was dying there was another post in favor of Atlético with a cross shot by Barrios that Simón almost put into the goal. Sparks in a San Mamés that saw neither dominator nor brilliance but struggle.

And the second half started opposite. With fireworks from the local side. Simeone wonders if his team left the locker room or stayed there, because in the blink of an eye they found themselves two down on the scoreboard. The speed of the Williams and the precision of Robert Navarro gave Terzic's team a double advantage. The only positive thing for the colchoneros is that they had the entire second half to try to fix the mess that formed in 60 seconds.

Julian's departure

Cholo barely wanted to wait and made four substitutions at once, including Julián Álvarez. Half an hour of redemption is not enough, but it is something and the Argentine wanted it from the beginning. The team went for Unai and left the Basques the opportunity to counter and defend five to protect what they had acquired. It would have been the icing on the cake and Julián's first breath of apology, if Unai Simón did not give him a prodigious hand after a pass from Baena. But the one who found a reward was Sancet in the 90th after a lightning attack.