By: Luis Imana
Even though a place like San Mamés is so complicated, Barcelona managed to conquer it after beating Athletic Club by the slightest difference in the Spanish league.
The game opened up opportunities for both teams in the first half. However, the sticking point came seconds before the break with Rafinha as the protagonist.
The Brazilian excelled at 45+1 with a superb cross shot from a Sergio Busquets assist that allowed him to silence the Basque team’s crowd.
At the beginning of the second half, the “culés” began to control the game; However, Athletic responded at 88′ with a goal of Inaki Williams that collapsed Barcelona’s efforts.
As the ‘Lions’ celebrated their teammate’s goal, VAR intervened to annul the ‘9’ and bring the Catalans back to life.
The Catalan team ended up celebrating three golden points, giving them a nine-point lead over Real Madrid, who are second in La Liga.
“We are taking a step forward in a difficult field. You end up suffering, that’s normal. They go 0-1 and end up suffering. A golden win, a game marked on the calendar. We’re still thinking about improving offensively,” said Xavi Hernández after the game.
He Barcelona They firmly advance to the title of the Spanish tournament, which they have not achieved since the 2018-2019 season, and is the team with the fewest goals conceded in this tournament, with a total of eight goals conceded.