Athletic suffers in San Mamés and draws with Elche after a controversial penalty

Football likes to make San Mamés suffer. A game on track, a fan excited about the Terzic system, and that was twisted by a twist in the script, one of those almost forced, like a bad after-dinner movie. But that's how it was. And Athletic ended up paying dearly for their lack of aim. The script twist was in the form of a penalty in a poor defensive action just beginning the second half. Elche, suffering but decisive, took a golden point from San Mamés.

Athletic started working like clockwork. Everything measured to perfection and style. The left wing was a torrent of electricity. The release of the ball with three centre-backs left juicy spaces for the offensive. And as soon as it started, on one of those outings, Yuri left it to Nico Williams in the band. He received, drew a beautiful pass with the outside into space for Sancet, a back pass to Iñaki Williams, who finished from point-blank range, but the ball did not want to go in by just a few centimeters. Everything at full speed. Applause for the football that Bilbao likes.

Elche spent the entire first half saying what was this about the ball, that they didn't want to know anything. And there they were locked in with a line of five, suffering in the fullness of their sadness in the face of an Athletic team that could not translate their bite into goals. It seemed like a matter of time.

But the second parts have that point of renewal, the one that also gives the new day. And so it was in this football so enemy of the obvious. On the first occasion, after a series of defensive inaccuracies by the red and whites, the ball ended up in the center of the area at the feet of Germán. Yeray cut low, but late and the play ended in a penalty that Buonanotte executed perfectly. From then on, Terzic's slate, the one that some fans say has brought modernity to Athletic, began to fail. And there were several minutes of disorder on the field. So much so that Unai Simón had to take a saving foot in the 60th minute. Then there was a dead silence.