Mikel Arteta’s substitutions paid off brilliantly as Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard came off the bench to score and get our Champions League campaign off the perfect start.
A tight first 45 saw little in the way of chances, but the duo were brought on to great effect, as 36 seconds after his arrival, Martinelli produced some magic when he was played in on goal by Trossard and advanced 50 yards before tucking the ball home, and the favour was repaid on 84 minutes when Martinelli found Trossard inside the box to seal the win.
It saw us become the first side in the history of the European Cup to win six consecutive matches against Spanish sides, with Martinelli netting long-distance strikes in Spain against Sevilla, Real Madrid and now tonight to complete a unique hat-trick in Arteta’s homeland.
Cagey first half
The home supporters inside the San Mames had waited 11 years for a taste of Europe’s premier club competition, and they made their presence known as the sides entered the field, filling a ground known as the Caudron with noise.
They had won six of their seven home games in last season’s Europa League, and with plenty of backing once again, the hosts were able to enjoy the better of the opening 20 minutes, albeit without troubling David Raya thanks to a series of good blocks by our backline.
Chances were at a premium for both teams in the opening 45, but only some excellent last-ditch defending by Aitor Parades prevented Ebere Eze from finishing off a neat move he began, which also involved Jurrien Timber and Noni Madueke down the right flank that we probed regularly before the break.
As the half unfolded, Viktor Gyokeres became a bigger factor in proceedings and after shooting at Unai Simon following a now-trademark burst down the left, he nearly sent a diving header from a Timber cross into the net but saw it flash the wrong side of the post.
The Swede’s head would need patching up after a nasty clash with skipper for the night Gabriel as both attacked a free-kick, but as the game crept nearer its midway point, Athletic exploited a gap with Timber off the pitch and centre-back Dani Viviane popped up on the left wing and dragged a low shot past Raya’s far post.
Alex Berenguer then nodded a corner wide of the mark seconds before half-time as the home crowd went in buoyed by their side’s first-half display.
Super subs
Some great hold-up play from Gyokeres allowed Madueke to scamper in behind and he nearly caught out Unai Simon with a snap-shot from a tight angle, but the Spanish international palmed it away, and the England winger again forced the glovesman into another stop with a deflected shot as we began to build up a head of steam.
We were looking much more threatening after the break and Mikel Merino had a great chance when he was picked out by Eze, but his header from a central position lacked power and was comfortable for Simon, but on 71 minutes we finally found the breakthrough.
Trossard had replaced Gyokeres six minutes before Martinelli was swapped for Eze, and just 36 seconds after the Brazilian was introduced, the two combined perfectly. Pinned in the centre circle, Trossard flicked the ball into Martinelli’s path, and a brilliant touch nudged the ball in front of him and the covering defender to hand him a path to goal.
And just as he had done at Sevilla and Real Madrid in the past couple of seasons, he showed coolness to sprint 50 yards before tucking under Simon to put us in front.
It was a goal our second-half display deserved, and we continued to look lively in pursuit for a second. It duly arrived with four minutes to play as the two subs came up triumphs again.
This time the roles were reversed with Martinelli edging down the left flank and got around his man to cut the ball back to Trossard. He controlled the ball dead and poked it goalwards, and saw a deflection take the ball onto the post before spinning into the net to seal a fine matchday one win, while the clean sheet means we’ve still not conceded from open play this term.
What’s next
We’re back in Premier League action on Sunday when Manchester City head to Emirates Stadium, before we head to Port Vale on Wednesday, September 24 for the League Cup third round. Then we’re on our travels again on Sunday, September 28 when we head to Newcastle United.
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