The bulk of the first half between Espanyol and Athletic Bilbao was a rather dull affair. There were few chances - the best of which, Pablo Osvaldo's run to beat Bilbao's offside trap and send him through one on one with Gorka Iraizoz, was wasted with a weak finish - and most of the other action involved simple crosses into the box, mostly by Bilbao. It might be effective, but it's not particularly compelling.
Espanyol Vs. Athletic Bilbao: 1-1 At Halftime
Then the officials got involved. First, Espanyol took the lead on what appears to be a blown offside call, Pablo Osvaldo slotting home after a bobbling ball found him free in space in the Bilbao box. His finish was far more assured this time, going in off Iraizoz’s right post to give the home side a huge boost in their attempt to unseat their guests in seventh place.
But relying on the whims of referees is a dangerous game, and since the goal Espanyol have seen a handful of key decisions go against them. First, Verdu was penalised and booked for being nearby when Susaeta fell over in his general vicinity, with Bilbao adding insult to injury when the midfielder then buried the free kick past Idriss Kameni. Then the hosts has what looked like a clear penalty turned down after Iraizoz brought down Osvaldo by swiping a foot through the striker’s legs. In no world is that not a penalty. Except this one, apparently.
Anyway, the match goes into halftime at 1-1, and both goals that counted shouldn’t have, and there was a penalty not awarded that should have been. Football can be an odd game.
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