Jan Oblak Laments Atléti’s Inability To Defend Set-Pieces
Written by Patrick Echatah
Athletic Bilbao came back from a goal down to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the semi-final of the Supercopa de Espana in Saudi Arabia on Thursday evening.
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Within a minute, Joao Felix had the ball in the net, but the linesman correctly flagged for offside. But that was pretty much it for a half-empty stadium and a bland atmosphere in the first half. The second half, on the other hand, was a different story.
After Thomas Lemar whipped in a corner from the left side, Unai Simons scored an own goal in the 62nd minute, Athletic Bilbao on the other hand, came back with a bang, scoring twice in the space of four minutes to flip the tie around.
In the 77th minute, Yeray scored after being assisted by Iker Muniain, and then in the 81st minute, Nico Williams – Inaki’s younger brother – scored the winner. Athletic, the current holders of the Supercopa, can now hope to maintain their title.
“It’s difficult to explain,” Jan Oblak said post-match in comments carried by Marca. “Two goals from set pieces. We’ve conceded a lot of them this year. We’re disappointed because we wanted to win, but we haven’t done enough. I wish all the luck in the world to Athletic. They deserve to be in the final.
“We didn’t play a good game. That wasn’t the plan. Our plan was to play higher, to press and have more of the ball. The whole team is disappointed but we have to correct our mistakes, improve a lot and pick ourselves up. There’s no other choice.”
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Meanwhile…
Atlético Madrid’s lack of a clear plan to replace Kieran Trippier grows more obvious with each day.
Valencia coach José Bordalás has warned his team that he is counting on Daniel Wass and would not allow the Denmark international to depart for Atlético this month, according to numerous Spanish media sources on Wednesday.
Wass agreed to terms on a contract with Atleti over the weekend and a move seemed imminent, but the operation has slowed in recent days. Valencia are refusing to let the player go without a replacement signed.
Barring another significant change, Wass will remain at Mestalla for the rest of the season and leave as a free agent when his contract expires in June.
(footballespana)
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