Goals: Athletic Bilbao—Aduriz 61’,69’ Gomez 74’; Napoli—Hamsik 47’
Recap: It took a deficit, but Athletic Bilbao were able to come back and capture a 3-1 victory over Napoli on Wednesday.
A left-footed blast from Marek Hamsik opened the affair in the 47th minute, but shoddy defending would ultimately see the Italian outfit undone. An opportunistic Ardian Aduriz took advantage of poor marking and an error from Rafael Cabral to complete his brace. Ibai Gomez would seal the victory just five minutes later.
The result sees Bilbao through to the group stages of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1998.
Key Moment: Manuel Neuer wrote the book on the Sweeper-Keeper. Rafael Cabral just didn’t read it. With the affair level at 1-1, the 24-year-old mistimed a launched effort from Oscar De Marcos, allowing Aduriz to slip behind him with possession of the ball. Napoli’s Champions League dreams were sealed with his easy finish.
Man of the Match: Two big chances. Two clinical finishes. The award belongs to Aduriz.
Lesson Learned: The Spanish Liga is more than just Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Due to the dominance of the aforementioned clubs, the league’s strength is often criticized by biased Premier League loyalists. It’s depth, however, is far reaching. Sevilla were able to capture the Europa League crown. Athletic Bilbao qualified for Champions League after suffering the harshest draw of the playoff round. Spain has more quality than you think.
Up Next: Both clubs return to league play this weekend. Athletic Bilbao remain home to face Levante on Saturday, while Napoli visit Genoa to open their Serie A campaign on Sunday.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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