MADRID: Athletic Bilbao rebounded from a poor streak with a 3-1 win over last-placed Levante in La Liga on Monday.

Mikel Vesga, Inaki Williams and Oier Zarraga scored in the final half-hour to give Bilbao the home win and move the Basque Country club closer to the European places.

Sitting in eighth place, Bilbao were coming off elimination against Valencia in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, where they were trying to reach their third straight final after losing the last two. They lost to Barcelona 4-0 in their previous league game.

“We needed this victory to help us recover from the disappointing loss in the Copa,” Vesga said. “We will keep fighting for the European places until the end.”

Bilbao eight points behind fourth-placed Atltico Madrid in the final Champions league spot.

Levante were trying to win for the third time in four matches after earning only one victory in their first 23 league games. The loss left the Valencia side seven points from safety after 27 matches.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2022