A Barça from less to more knocks down Athletic to stay alive in the League (1-0)

The FC Barcelona knew that it could not allow a new trip to follow alive in LaLiga. The tie in Seville awarded him the leadership to the Real Madrid by the 'goal average' individual and a new prick against the Athletic Club could complicate, and a lot, the things. The culés went back to offer a very grey version in the first time, but improved in the second and achieved to win with a so much of Ivan Rakitic.

From the start, could see very clearly the intention of each one of the teams: the FC Barcelona wanted to adueñarse of the control of the ball from the start, whereas the Athletic Club preferred to do a moderate pressure and launch long balloons to the career of Iñaki Williams when it was possible. A script that initiated the script of the duel and that did not change.

The first warning was of the Basque group, by mediation of a centre poisoned of Lekue that Marc-André ter Stegen had to clear with quite a lot of difficulties. The FC Barcelona, by his part, did not take too much in answering with a double occasion: first it finished Luis Suárez and, after the stop of Unai Simón, Sergio Busquets tried it with a shot that cleared Yeray of head.

The own Uruguayan forward would go back it to try with a finish with the outside, but failed the occasion. Shortly after, it went again Yeray the one who was about to to mark in a centre to the area after a played strategy to the service of a fault. Later, a long trip looking for the career of Williams finished with a shot of the Basque to the side of the network.

The feeling during the first time was that the Athletic Club had the much clearer ideas and that arrived copn more ease to the rival area. The Barça did to circulate the too slow balloon and with an evident fault of ideas to create danger. Nevertheless, Luis Suárez had another shot raso with which could have opened the marker.

Rakitic Decides

In the second time, the FC Barcelona seemed to begin with more intensity of face to rondar the goal of Unai Simón. The visible complaints of Quique Setién and Eder Sarabia in the first time on the game of the team possibly saw reflected in the changing room, because the culés went out with more aggressiveness and playing much more near of the zone of danger.

In spite of this, the technicians moved the bench to give entrance to Riqui Puig substituting to Arthur Melo that it was, maybe, the most toneless footballer of the team until this moment. Shortly after, it arrived the clearest occasion of the Barça in all the party: Leo Messi intercepted a pass of the rival defence in the beak of the area and, with a pass hammered, left only to Griezmann in front of Unai Simón stellar that detained the shot of the French.

In fact, the ex of the Athletic of Madrid resintió of a pain and was substituted by an Ansu Fati that, few seconds after going in to the terrain of game, brushed the goal with a finish of head that left above the crossbar. Riqui Puig, by his part, also had a start of party very intense, with several recoveries of balloon and a good dynamism in his game.

In the minute 72, arrived the goal. Ivan Rakitic, that also had gone in from the bench and that did not mark from a Classical against the Real Madrid in 2019, took advantage of a refuse after an attempt of dribbling of Messi to beat to Unai Simón in the hand manually. A so much basámico that, besides, raised the spirits of a Barça that tightened up and enjoyed of some interesting occasion.

The Athletic pulled a bit to look for the goal of Ter Stegen, but did not achieve to generate the same danger that in the first time. By his part, Leo Messi looked for the goal in two very alike occasions: two shots from out of the area that were very near of the base of the stick. Before finishing the party, Arturo Vidal was about to to mark with a pelotazo of Arturo Vidal that, after refusing Unai Simón, finish in the feet of an Ansu Fati that commanded it to the stick. At the end, victory very important.

Technical index card of the party: FC Barcelona-Athletic Club 1-0

• FC Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Hammered, Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Busquets (Rakitic, min. 64), Arthur (Riqui Puig, min. 56), To. Vidal; Messi, Griezmann (Ansu Fati, min. 65) and Suárez (Braithwaite, min. 85).
• Athletic Club: Unai Simón; Of Marcos, Núñez, Yeray, Balenziaga; Unai López (García, min. 57), Vesga; Lekue (Layer, min. 69), Sancet, Córdoba (Muniaín, min. 57); and Williams (Villalibre, min. 69).
• Referee: Gil Manzano.
• Incidences: corresponding Party to the day 31 of LaLiga Santander 2019-20.
• Goal of the party: 1-0, Rakitic (min. 71).

News stood out of the FC Barcelona-Athletic Club

• Video summary of the party FC Barcelona-Athletic Club
• Next party: RC Celtic-FC Barcelona (LaLiga Santander 2019-20, J32)