Cuadra Fernández and his VAR colleagues spoiled the party at San Mamés. Theirs was a surreal refereeing, which left Villarreal happier in the end, due to the penalty awarded in stoppage time, but only for that, because Marcelino’s men had to play the entire second half with one less player due to the expulsion of Comesaña, who went to the booth because the bar set by the match director was so low that the second yellow card was inevitable. Before, he had already whistled another maximum penalty against Athletic.
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Unai Simón, Aitor Paredes, Yuri, De Marcos, Daniel Vivian, O. Sancet (Muniain, min. 76), Benat Prados (Dani García, min. 70), Nico Williams (Berenguer, min. 69), Vesga (Ander Herrera , min. 55), Williams and Guruzeta (Villalibre, min. 76)
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Jorgensen, Albiol, Yerson Mosquera, Kiko Femenía, Alberto Moreno (Gonçalo Guedes, min. 68), Parejo, Bertrand Traoré (Ilias Chakkour, min. 68), Comesaña, Álex Baena, Gerard Moreno (Alfonso Pedraza, min. 55) and Sörloth
Goals 1-0 min. 66: O. Sancet. 1-1 min. 94: Even.
Referee Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez
Yellow cards Benat Prados (min. 10), Williams (min. 31), Comesaña (min. 34) and Yuri (min. 93)
The cup will arrive worn out in Madrid from so much use. He appeared again in San Mamés, during the hall of honor that Villarreal gave to Athletic, at the beginning of the end of the celebrations, which lasted a week, just until Cuadra Fernández signaled the start of the match. Then, football, and two teams in search of the opposing goal; Athletic, with Europe already secured, in search of a bigger prize, Villarreal, revitalized since the arrival of Marcelino, to improve their chances of also getting into the continental competition.
So, to the dynamic start of the Bilbao team, the yellows responded with the threat of Gerard and Sorloth. The visitors combined more, but Athletic brought joy to their game, with Nico Williams plugged in and with no apparent signs of a hangover in the rest of the team. However, the match could have started to tilt to one side when in an attacking action by Villarreal, the VAR detected a stomp by Prados on Baena, which is sometimes considered a residual play, sometimes not, and the referee awarded a penalty. Gerard threw it, the ball hit the post and the rebound was pocketed by the same player, which nullified the play. Penalties continued to give Athletic luck.
The action confused the rojiblancos, and Baena was able to score in an action shortly after, but he fell asleep on the shot and Paredes got in the way to block it. Valverde’s team did not generate scoring chances like in other games, but they came close with danger, almost always with Sancet and Nico as protagonists, although their best attempt was in a poisoned center from De Marcos in which the visiting defense got involved before to send the ball to a corner.
The game changed before one minute of the second half was complete, because the referee’s judgment with the warnings caused Santi Comesaña’s second. In reality, the criteria were erratic in almost everything.
With one less player on the pitch, Villarreal retreated. Marcelino took Gerard, who had been one of the best on his team, off the field to reinforce the defensive line. He gave up putting pressure and waited for Athletic to take the initiative.
And the red and white team did it, with more patience than usual, especially with the entry of Ander Herrera, who brought the break, and a ball to the head of Guruzeta, on the border of offside, which Sancet finished off with force, without dropping the ball, to put Athletic ahead.
But, incomprehensibly, with a numerical advantage and on the scoreboard, for a few minutes, the Bilbao team gave the ball to Villarreal, who pushed as hard as they could and got on the nerves of the San Mamés stands.
During the discount the party was spoiled. The VAR, which had ignored a clear grab on Nico Williams a few minutes earlier, notified the referee of the ball between Yuri’s shoulder and arm. The penalty was converted by Parejo to the frustration of Bilbao, who were already planning a different end to the party.
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