Athletic Club edges Osasuna to revive European hopes

The pressure on Athletic coming into the game was obvious. A run of four defeats in their previous five league matches had seriously damaged their European hopes, and another slip would have made the climb look far steeper. Osasuna, though, arrived in poor shape themselves, with just one win in their previous six, and they offered very little in a first half largely controlled by the hosts. 

Athletic were not exactly at their fluent best, but they were still the more purposeful side from the outset. 

There was early drama when a penalty awarded in the fourth minute was overturned for a handball by Lucas Torro in the build-up. That brief frustration did not derail them for long. Around the 15-minute mark, Nico Williams sparked the move that led to the decisive goal, forcing Sergio Herrera into a save before Gorka Guruzeta reacted quickest to convert the rebound. 

It was not a beautiful goal, but it suited the occasion. Athletic needed points more than polish, and once they were ahead, the game settled into a pattern that favored them. 

Clear chances were scarce for the rest of the first half, although Alex Berenguer came close to doubling the lead just before the break with a low effort from inside the box that almost crept into the far corner. 

Osasuna went in fortunate to be only one goal down, and whatever Alessio Lisci said at half-time at least seemed to wake his side up. Five minutes after the restart, Ante Budimir produced their best attempt of the match so far with an acrobatic overhead kick that drifted narrowly wide. 

Soon after, Osasuna were handed their biggest chance to turn the game. Yerry Alvarez blocked a Flavien Boyomo effort with his arm, and while the incident was not reviewed by VAR, the referee pointed to the spot. Budimir stepped up with the opportunity to equalize , but his penalty lacked conviction, and Unai Simon made the save before gathering the rebound. 

That moment summed up Osasuna's night. They improved after the break and finally asked a few more questions of Athletic's defense , but they still lacked enough sharpness in the final third. Simon did have to produce one more outstanding save later on, tipping a Budimir header onto the post to preserve the lead, but overall the visitors never quite built the sustained pressure needed to force the equalizer . 

Athletic were made to suffer a little more than they would have liked in stoppage time after Mikel Jauregizar was sent off right at the start of eight added minutes. Even with the extra man, though, Osasuna could not make the breakthrough. 

That failure leaves Los Rojillos in worsening form and drops them to 10th in the table, a damaging outcome for a side that had come into the night with European ambitions of their own. Athletic, by contrast, move above them and can at least believe again, even if a difficult trip to Atletico Madrid now awaits. 

For one night at least, their European dream is alive again.