Ernesto Valverde says he was impressed with Athletic Bilbao’s ability to see out their Europa League qualifier against Inter Baku.
Los Leones successfully defended their two-goal lead from the first leg by playing out a stalemate in Azerbaijan on Thursday, and the Coach paid tribute to his players for making easy work of their tie.
“We came [to Baku] with the intention of winning the match, nothing else,” he said after the game.
“First and foremost, I wanted us to keep the ball and avoid making any mistakes which could have cost us dearly.
“When we reached the edge of their box, it was difficult to overcome the two lines of five and four, which Baku maintained.
“We thought Inter would take more risks when going forward, but it didn’t happen, and as the match wore on, with them pegged so far back, we took our time because the tie was in our favour.
“[On the playoff draw], I don’t have any preferences, but if I could choose then it wouldn’t be too strong an opponent.”
