Athletic denied by Javi Guerra

Athletic Club and Málaga CF drew 1-1 on matchday 20 of the Liga BBVA. The result sees Ernesto Valverde’s men put an end to their run of four straight defeats, while the Andalusians remain in seventh place with 32 points.

Athletic had the better of a high-octane first half, despite Málaga’s Samu Castillejo giving the Basques a scare on 15 minutes as the forward pounced on a loose ball, goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz diverting the effort with his foot to rescue his side. From then on, the chances fell to the Bilbao outfit courtesy of Mikel Rico, Ibai Gómez and Aritz Aduriz, but all three were out of luck and could not put their team ahead.

In the second half, Athletic’s persistence continued and, after attempts from Aduriz and Óscar de Marcos, they got their reward. Markel Susaeta delivered the corner and Mikel San José headed into the net to restore the San Mamés fan' cheer. However, their joy was short-lived as Javi Guerra popped up to level the scores. A bittersweet point for a rojiblanco outfit who can’t quite take off in their bid to climb the table.