Athletic Bilbao 2 Elche 2
The good news is that Elche are going along well, now back up in the rarefied atmosphere of La Liga where they last breathed the exciting air 24 years ago.
Following last week’s disappointing 0 – 1 home defeat by old foes Granada, the Illicitanos’ travelled the length of Spain to take on one of Spain’s oldest clubs in the Basque Country, the mighty Athletic Bilbao who are right up there in sixth place, a daunting task for most clubs.
In many ways this draw was also a disappointing result like Granada, but for different reasons because Elche actually led 2 – 0 at half time.
Cisma returned after suspension at left back, normal first-choice Edu Albacar is still out injured. Carlos ‘The Rock’ Sanchez was back to strengthen the midfield with Ruben Perez, and with Boakye not recovered from his injuries sustained in the final minutes against Granada, Aaron started the match for the first time, his previous experiences have always been as substitute.
Elche began well, and with only nine minutes gone the Illicitanos’ were ahead. Damian Suarez’s inswinging corner was firmly headed in by centre-back David Lomban, his first for the club since his close-season move from Barcelona ‘B’.
Elche were playing well, and Aaron’s quick cross shot grazed the bar, but it stayed 0 – 1 at half time.
For the noisily-supported visitors things got even better only two minutes into the second half: Coro lost the ball on the edge of the area, but the ball ran loose to Aaron, and swivelling onto the ball coolly slotted the ball into the far corner for his first this season also, and with Elche two nil up and seemingly in control it all looked good from the Franjiverdes.
The home team immediately responded by pressing Elche hard and soon found the net, A deep cross from the left eluded everyone except the right winger Susaeta who almost from the by line hit the ball first time at an acute angle to crash it past Herrera in the Elche goal and pull Athletico back into the game.
Another exciting quarter of an hour passed with chances at either end before with 20 action-packed minutes to go Aduriz crashed in his headed equalizer from a corner in an almost carbon copy of Elche’s first.
As expected coach Fran Escriba rang the Elche changes to both consolidate the draw and possibly steal the winner. On came Javi Marquez for Fidel, Mantecon for Aaron and finally Manu del Moral for never-stop-running Coro. But a draw was a fair result and one which marks vital progress for Elche, to keep them in the respectable mid-table position of tenth with thirteen points after eleven games.
Tonight, Monday 4th November at 10pm Elche take on Villarreal, who are in scary fourth place in La Liga on 20 points behind Barcelona, Athletico and Real Madrid respectively. The clubs have met in recent years in the Segunda League and the results have always been close, but the Illicitanos are in good shape and no-one has yet played them off the park.
Today’s Elche have grit as well as ability, and what looks like a good team spirit. A win tonight against a team like Villarreal would be a tremendous boost: exciting home games such as against the mighty Real Madrid and Valladollid have shown the Franjiverdes need fear no-one, and as the new players steadily blend with the old the results are slowly but surely improving.
There is much to be optimistic about in the City of Palme.
Mucho Elche!
Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/41271/
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