Barcelona 1-0 Athletic Bilbao
Fans over at Camp Nou needed some good news especially after they were leapfrogged by Real Madrid in the La Liga table. And after last night, they can finally breathe a sigh of relief for the meantime.
Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao, 1-0, at home in order to put themselves back on top of the standings as Ivan Rakitic managed to score the only goal of the evening.
Although it was an underwhelming result by their standards, Quique Setien’s men will take the valuable three points anyway especially with the championship race tightening by the day.
Real Madrid has a slight advantage over Barcelona in our La Liga 2020 odds to win it all should they remain level on points, and they have a chance to overtake them once more if they beat RCD Mallorca tomorrow.
As for Athletic Bilbao, they remain smack dab in the middle of the table as they are placed 10th with 42 points.
Gaizka Garitano’s side are enjoying a decent run lately with two draws and one win since La Liga restarted. Prior to the mandated break, Los Leones lost four of their last six fixtures.
As we continue our coverage of the Spanish top-flight, let us recap last night’s set of La Liga 2020 highlights here at SBOBET.
Highlights of the game
It can be remembered that Athletic Bilbao won the reverse fixture earlier this season with an identical score, and they were eager to do that once more last night.
They gave Barca quite a scare in the first three minutes when Unai Lopez launched a long cross after a corner kick that almost went to the back of the net. It was a good thing for the Blaugrana, however, that Marc-Andre ter Stegen was there to block the shot away.
It was Barcelona’s time to have their first real chance just a minute later when Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann found a cutting Luis Suarez on the left flank. However, the Uruguayan striker flubbed the ball and wasn’t able to get a decent shot off.
With Barca struggling to create any viable chances, Quique Setien decided to make the most out of his rotation by bringing in some substitutes in the second half.
Fast forward to the 54th minute, Athletic Bilbao’s defence made a major mistake when their short clearance went right to Lionel Messi near the penalty area.
Lionel Messi volleyed a pass over to Antoine Griezmann at the left flank, but his attempt was stopped by Unai Simon, who showed great instincts by getting in the way of the 29-year-old forward.
And then after playing for more than an hour with no goals scored between these two clubs, the Catalan giants would finally break the deadlock with a goal from one of their unlikeliest sources.
Ivan Rakitic, who was often criticised by the fans over at Camp Nou, came to the rescue by coming off the bench and scoring the marginal goal to put Barca on top at the 71st minute.
Prior to the said goal, Lionel Messi was busy trying to carve out an opportunity for his teammates to score.
The Argentinian winger flicked the ball over to Arturo Vidal who passed the ball right back, and then the ball was deflected away right into a cutting Ivan Rakitic for the score.
It was somehow a redemption moment for Rakitic given the vitriol he’s received from the Camp Nou faithful over the past few years. All season long, the 32-year-old midfielder wasn’t played much by either Ernesto Valverde or Quique Setien but his professionalism always stood out in the dressing room.
Barca would have two more chances within the last 10 minutes. Messi missed out on a goal when his low shot drifted too wide in the 79th minute, while Arturo Vidal’s short-range strike was deflected by Unai Simon during added time.
Key statistics
While goals aren’t aplenty for Barca last night, they’ve had the lion’s share in possessions at 73-per cent.
The Catalan giants have had 18 total shots with four on target while Athletic Bilbao had six total shots with none of them on target.
Lionel Messi missed out on scoring his 700th career goal yesterday, but it is expected that he’ll have it sooner or later.
What’s next?
Barca will visit Celta Vigo at the Municipal de Balaidos on Saturday before locking horns against Atletico Madrid back in Camp Nou next week.
Bilbao, on the other hand, will host RCD Mallorca this weekend before heading over to the Mestalla to face Valencia.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
