Naija fans wey dey follow La Liga don see one match wey sweet and sour at di same time. Atlético de Madrid travel go San Mamés for di fourth game of di season, but e no end well for dem as Athletic Bilbao beat dem 2-0. Di match na on 5 September, and e don set di stage for plenty talk.
Di game start with Atlético de Madrid looking sharp, and di main man na Lee Kang-in. Dis young star, wey be 25 years old, na im dey carry di attack for Atlético. For di first half, im don create chances wey fit don change di story. For minute 3, Lee Kang-in collect ball for di right side of di goal, im strike am with im right foot, and di ball bin hit di post. Di ball comot, and even Lee Kang-in wey bin dey expect goal, cover im mouth with im hand, because e no fit believe sey di chance no enter.
Later for minute 23, Lee Kang-in show im eye for pass. Im use di way im dey carry di ball distract di defender, then im give Alex Baena one fine pass for di right side. Di pass open di angle well well for Baena, but di goalkeeper for Bilbao, Unai Simón, block am. Even for minute 40, Lee Kang-in still try im luck as im break through di defence with im dribbling, but di physical play of di home team stop am.
Di first half end 0-0, but e look like Atlético de Madrid get more chance. However, as second half begin, Atlético collapse like house wey no get foundation. Just 37 seconds into di second half, Nico Williams score for Bilbao. Di ball rebounce off Atlético defender, and Nico Williams head am inside net. E no stop there: for minute 3 of di second half, Robert Navarro finish di job with one sweet left-foot shot wey enter di top corner. Atlético no even get time to recover, and before dem know am, dem don dey 2-0 down.
Di two goals bin come for just 135 seconds. E be like say di whole game comot for Atlético hand. Coach Diego Simeone, wey sit for bench, bin look confused and dey vex. E talk for afta di match sey, “For second half, for those five minutes, or maybe two minutes, di game comot. Dem take dia chances well well.” Simeone no mince word when e talk about how im team lose di match.
Di sequence of di first goal na sometin wey go pain any coach. Atlético bin start second half, di ball pass from Baena to Pablo Barrios, but Barrios make one mistake pass wey lead to counter-attack. Nico Williams pick di ball, im pass am to Sancet, and rebounce help am as im carry di ball go forward. Robert Navarro join di move, and Iñaki Williams shoot, but Hancko block am, and di ball comot for Nico Williams to head am pass Oblak. Di goal bin get VAR check, because some people dey ask if di ball bin don comot for sideline before, but di goal stand.
For di second goal, e even worse. Atlético just restart from di centre, but Giuliano Simeone lose di ball with bad control, and Athletic bin counter again. Dem no waste time, as Robert Navarro just cut inside and shoot pass Grimaldo for di area. Na only 15 seconds from di centre restart to di goal. So, two goals for 135 seconds, and Atlético di game bin don finish.
Wey di score be 2-0, Diego Simeone try to change tins. For minute 13 of di second half, im make four substitutions at once: im bring off Lee Kang-in, Lookman, Simeone, and Hjulmand; im bring in Julián Álvarez, Cristian Romero, Arnau Ortiz, and Koke. But di damage don already happen, and Atlético no fit score again.
Dis loss be di first time Atlético de Madrid lose for di season. Before dis match, dem bin don win two, draw one, and dey unbeaten. But now, dem don collect 7 points out of 12, and one fan and critic dey begin wonder if di team dey where dem suppose be. E still early for di season, but di result don raise questions.
For di side of Athletic Bilbao, di win sweet pass, and dem go take di confidence. Nico Williams and Robert Navarro na di heroes for today. Dem show sey athletic dey ready to fight for top spot.
Lee Kang-in, despite di loss, don show sey im be key player for Atlético. E be like say im dey adapt well to La Liga, and im fit create chance any time. But football na collective sport, and even sey im play well, na di team result wey matter.
Di match also highlight one problème for Atlético: dem dey concede too many goals. Dem don bin keep clean sheet only for di first game, and for di next three games, dem don collect six goals. If dem wan challenge for title, dem need fix this quick.
Di referee and VAR no do any wrong, but di speed of Athletic counter-attack na sometin wey Atlético no fit manage. Simeone know sey im team need work more for concentration, especially for away games.
As di journalist report, di game bin get evri tin: di early miss wey go pain Lee Kang-in, di tactical battle for midfield, and di quick goals wey turn di match around. But for di end, na Athletic Bilbao fans wey dey sing as di final whistle blow.
