Ernesto Valverde thought Athletic Bilbao’s scoreless draw at Malaga was a game that ‘did not open up’, although he was pleased with the result.
The two sides appeared to cancel each other out in their first-leg Copa del Rey quarter-final clash at La Rosaleda, neither having a shot on target over the whole 90 minutes.
“This was a tight game that didn’t open up and there were not many chances created,” Bilbao boss Valverde told reporters post-match.
“The pitch was quick and it was difficult to control the play. But this game was positive for us, particularly the score.
“It was the first of three games we have with Malaga [in just over a week] and on Sunday in the League match we’ll be playing for more than them,” he declared.
