Valladolid 2 - Athletic Bilbao 0

Valladolid: Bizzarri; Torres Gómez, Mario (Gaspar 85'), Peña, Marcos; Colsa, Jesús (Sousa 76'); Fernando Sales, Oscar González; Antonio López (Chema 78'); Aganzo. 4-2-3-1.
Athletic: Aranzubia; Javi González, Lacruz, Karanka, Larrazábal; Orbaiz (Julen Guerrero 74'), Alkiza; Joseba Etxeberría, Gurpegui (Arriaga 86'), Yeste (Ezquerro 68'); Urzaiz. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Valladolid: Antonio López, Aganzo for Olivera, Pachón / Athletic: Aranzubia, Karanka, Orbaiz for Lafuente, Murillo, Tiko.

Goals:
1-0. 61. Aganzo. Turned on loose ball in area to shoot past Aranzubia.
2-0. 72. Aganzo. Got on the end of long Sales cross to steer ball past keeper.

The pressure eased off Valladolid's Pepe Moré after his side beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0. Having not even scored one goal in their last four games, and with the team fast approaching the drop zone, the manager had been given an ultimatum by his bosses to get a result or move on. Antonio López came in to the side for the first time this season, and in the opening minutes he brought a good save out of Aranzubia, who was himself returning to the Bilbao line up in place of the out-of-favour Lafuente. Heynckes side were also in need of points, but Urzaiz was closely marked and his side didn't seem to know any other way of reaching Bizzarri's goal other than high balls into the area looking for the big striker.

Valladolid were starting to cause problems for their opponents down the right wing, and after a couple of incursions were cut out by Aranzubia, Aganzo finally broke the ice after Lacruz had tried to cut out a Fernando Sales cross. Ten minutes later the young striker got on the end of another ball in from Sales to hit an impressive first time volley across goal and in off the far post for his second of the night. Athletic came close to pulling one back when Gurpegui (currently awaiting a possible ban after testing positive for Nandrolone) saw his header cleared off the line by Peña with the keeper beaten. The win takes Valladolid above their opponents to twelfth place, leaving the Basque side down in seventeenth spot, only a point above the relegation zone.