Nico Williams Sparks 4-2 Comeback in Alavés Vs Athletic Club
Athletic Club turned alavés vs athletic club around after halftime and beat Alavés 4-2. Ernesto Valverde’s triple change at the break flipped a derby that had been leaning the other way, and Nico Williams finished it with two goals.
Valverde’s Triple Change
Robert Navarro scored immediately after the restart, and Athletic never let that opening go to waste. The team had looked flat before the interval, then came out altered in shape and tempo after Valverde changed three players at halftime.
Antonio Blanco had put Alavés ahead before the break with a shot into the top corner. A possible second goal for the home side was wiped away when a penalty on Toni Martínez was overturned for a narrow offside, and that left the match closer than the scoreline might have become.
Guruzeta Finds Nico Williams
Alavés answered through Tenaglia, who restored its lead from a set piece, but the response did not last. Sancet equalized with a shot into the top corner after several feints, and that pulled the game back into Athletic’s control before the late surge.
Guruzeta set up both of Williams’ goals, and the forward finished the comeback with his sixth goal in Liga. He has now been involved in goals in his last 4 LaLiga matches, with 3 goals and 2 assists across that run.
Europe For Athletic
The result left Athletic Club looking toward Europe and pushed Alavés close to danger. Mikel González said, “El club no se ha quedado parado” and added, “Nico Williams ya está sin dolor, su mejor versión nos acerca a ganar.”
Another post-match voice put it bluntly: “El Athletic le ha dado la vuelta a un resultado que se había puesto de cara para el Deportivo Alavés con el gol de Tenaglia, pero luego Nico ha destapado el tarro de las esencias, también Sancet, Robert Navarro, la verdad es que los cambios que ha metido Valverde en la segunda parte han funcionado de maravilla, lo ha hecho muy bien Robert, lo ha hecho muy bien Sancet, también Galarreta, incluso luego Areso. Adam Boiro ha cerrado el partido. El Alavés se asoma al abismo, el Athletic consigue la permanencia y por qué no, se va a poner a luchar por los puestos europeos.”
