Barcelona was about to burn with fire but can now think about the classic after saving themselves in San Mamés thanks to a double VAR intervention, which corrected Gil Manzano. The video arbitration validated Raphinha’s goal and annulled that of Iñaki Williams so that Ter Stegen now adds one round (19 games out of 25) with a clean sheet. Without that advance, the final 0-1 for the leader would have become 1-0 in favor of Athletic. But Barça is at a time, in the middle of the Negreira case, in which everything is looked at with a magnifying glass and they even had to hear shouts of “A second” when they are 9 points behind their pursuer, Madrid. Comfortable on the wire, the blaugrana spent another life in Bilbao, where they suffered but resisted. They were saved as in so many other times, like in Girona, in the Metropolitan or last week against Valencia. The flower does not wither but the game still does not bloom.
Xavi promised that his team would not play with the handbrake on thinking about the classic and he corroborated it with his line-up. In the eleventh, the player from Egar did not cut himself and put three of the four warned: Busquets, Raphinha and Ferran Torres. The coach was right because in San Mamés you cannot temporize without Athletic passing over you.
Araújo’s loss due to suspension (sent off against Valencia) made it necessary to change Barça’s star defense. Koundé happened to play in the center of the rear, where it is supposed that he will do it against Madrid, and Sergi Roberto occupied the right-back. Seeing the modification, Valverde did not think twice and changed bands to Nico Williams to match him with Reus’s. He wanted to take advantage of that extreme physical power. But Busquets helped his teammate well to avoid being confronted one on one.
Athletic’s script was to look for the two Williams brothers and had Raúl García for the centers or win the second plays, an art that the Navarrese masters like few others. While Barcelona was willing to accept the comings and goings since for the first time in a game considered great it gave up the fourth midfielder and opted for the two pure wingers (Raphinha and Ferran Torres) to accompany the return of Lewandowski.
The Pole, who missed two games due to an overload, is still not fine, a trend that has followed him since he went to the World Cup. He was shown again when Frenkie de Jong assisted him and practically left him alone. But the first control of the nine, which seemed easy, went long and he had time to cut the young goalkeeper Agirrezabala, substitute for the international Unai Simón.
It is more difficult to tame the spirit of San Mamés than to impose the style in the Metropolitan, Villamarín, Vila-real or Riyadh. Barça knew it and they also verified it when Berenguer almost took advantage of a misunderstanding between Koundé and Ter Stegen and in a corner that Raúl García finished off the crossbar by heading past Busquets.
The ball went from one area to another without the toll of the midfield, where Gavi appeared to dive and clear with his head from the ground, but Barça missed Pedri’s inside game, just as the rojiblancos regretted not have neither Sancet, sanctioned, nor Munian, substitute. That left Lewandowski very isolated, who only appeared to ask for a penalty at the hands of De Marcos.
Everything was vertigo until Busquets calmed down at the edge of the area. The Barça captain gave a pause display as the first half was fading away. The midfielder danced to Dani García, who feinted to the left, to save the ball, turn and send to the right where he saw Raphinha. The Brazilian controlled in the area and crossed into Agirrezabala’s net. The assistant raised the flag but the VAR validated the goal as Balenziaga, more aware of Gavi, broke Raphinha’s offside, whose celebration of his ninth goal further inflamed the spirits of a crowd already overexcited against Barcelona and angry with Gil Manzano .
The blaugrana scored with the first shot between the sticks in another week dominating the areas. Although later Lewandowski could not head a great cross from Balde, who arrived with great style to the end line. Precisely when Xavi wanted to have control with a fourth half (Kessié came on for Ferran Torres) the game got out of control in the last half hour. The Ivorian lost a ball that led to a counterattack from Berenguer, who shot at the post, and Ter Stegen had to fly to frustrate a great thread from Munian, who was already on the field.
Barcelona, ??is not a novelty, lives on the edge all season and plays so much with fire that he could get burned because Iñaki Williams managed to score 1-1 in a ride in which he took several meters from Marcos Alonso to stand up against Ter Stegen. However, the VAR called Gil Manzano to the television, who appreciated in slow motion that Muniain had touched the ball with his forearm when recovering the ball from De Jong.
The mess in the stands was cathedral while Barça was not able to put the bell on the cat. Athletic forgave a triple chance that neither Nico Williams (he made a misto in the auction), nor Yuri (Ter Stegen took out) nor Zárraga (Marcos Alonso risked his head) knew how to find the net. Barcelona was saved in extremis with a double VAR intervention and will reach the classic with its advantage intact. The leader did not lose any of the nine points or any of those warned, but he did leave a year to live. This Barça has many lives.
Athletic: Agirrezabala, De Marcos (Capa 84), Vivian, Iñigo Martínez, Balenziaga (Yuri 70), Dani García, Vesga (Zarraga 64), Nico Williams, Raúl García (Muniain 64), Berenguer (Guruzeta 84) and Iñaki Williams.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Sergi Roberto (Marcos Alonso 84), Kound, Christensen, Balde, Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi (94), Raphinha (Ansu Fati 84), Ferran Torres (Kessie 67) and Lewandowski.
Goal: 0-1, m.45. refinery.
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (Colegio Extremadura). He showed yellow cards to the locals Iñaki Williams (m.29) and Zarraga (m.86), and to the visitor Sergi Roberto (m.76).
VAR Referee: Jose Luis Gonzalez Gonzalez (Committee of Castile and Leon).
Incidents: Matchday 25 of LaLiga Santander played in San Mamés in front of 49,741 spectators, record attendance at the new San Mamés.
