Athletic Club 0-1 Barcelona – Betting Review
Betting Analysis
Looking at the 1×2 market first. Athletic merited at least a point thanks to a dominant second half and generating much better chances. Barcelona won the game thanks to a first half goal, questionable VAR intervention but most of all, thanks to a brilliant Ter Stegen performance when needed. Barcelona won @ 2.25.
Moving onto the Asian handicap betting for this contest, where Barcelona -0.25 won @ 1.90.
Looking at The Under/Over goal line last of all. I expected Athletic to score here but for all the reasons detailed in the 1X2 section, they never managed it. Under 2.25 won @ 1.90.
The first half started with promise of being an entertaining game, but soon fell into being an ugly battle, therefore an Unders style match. At the same time however, the game deserved two goals. Fair score 1-1.
Match Summary
Barcelona managed somehow to walk away from Basque country with an extremely pleasing and hard fought three points.
It was a rip-roaring atmosphere where Athletic didn’t really hit their best until the second half but once there, they peppered Barcelona who was incredibly fortunate to not concede an equaliser.
Athletic missed big chances including one sitter for Williams Junior, but the main reason it remained 0-1 was an outstanding showing from Ter Stegen.
As well as the German who looked super human in goal when his side most needed, a controversial and frustrating VAR led decision kept it 0-1.
VAR officials saw a handball at the very start of a build-up which led to Inaki Williams fantastic leveller on 86 minutes. This decision left home fans even more frustrated and angry with the referee, particularly with the alleged bribery of referee charges hanging over Barcelona.
Barcelona and Athletic both had good chance each in the opening few minutes in an electric start to the match.
However, after a couple of bad tackles and confrontations, the game became bogged down in the midfield, with the home side very ineffective with the ball.
Barcelona had more control as Athletic turned into a more defensive unit. Before their goal, Robert Lewandowski had missed a 1v1 in a rare big opportunity.
Thanks to a brilliant ball from Busquets, Raphinha gave his side the lead. It was a well taken goal just before the break.
From Alejandro Baldé’s pinpoint cross early in the second half, Lewandowski headed wide. And with that, it gradually became a one-sided match as Athletic grew more confident and stronger by the minute.
And while the host took over, Barcelona posed almost no attacking threat and were focused on protecting the 0-1.
Iker Muniain’s introduction as sub really turned the pressure up a notch. His goal bound shot forced Ter Stegen into a brilliant save on 79 minutes.
Williams Junior and another sub-Yuri missed clear chances to level before the late drama, when Athletic thought they had equalised through Inaki Williams before VAR killed the party.
The strike had sent the Basques wild, but the goal was chalked off after hitting Muniain’s left arm in the build-up.
