Vicente Moreno told reporters that he was “glad we could earn a point” at San Mamés on Sunday, after his CA Osasuna side forced Athletic Club to settle for a goalless draw.
Los Rojillos, who are seven points clear of the LaLiga relegation zone but remain winless since their match against Real Sociedad on 2 February, switched to a five-at-the-back formation that cause problems for the Zurigorri throughout the match.
An impressive performance from goalkeeper Aitor Fernández, who spent his formative years at Athletic Club, kept los Leones at bay when they did penetrate the five-man defence, and Moreno expressed: “I’m glad we could earn this point and keep a clean sheet, which is something we hadn’t done in a long time.”
“It’s not a victory,” he accepted, “but in a way, our fans who travelled here twice this season can leave feeling somewhat satisfied.”
The 50-year-old, who joined Osasuna at the start of the season on a one-year deal, explained that “our goal was to take all three points, but we also knew how difficult that would be in this stadium, against a team with Athletic’s potential and their opportunity to move closer to the top teams.”
“It’s not easy to take points here, and we’ve been searching for a win that hasn’t come in recent matches,” the former midfielder told reporters, praising his side as they “put Athletic in trouble at certain moments and had to withstand pressure ourselves, especially at the start of the second half because when they press, they really press.”
“I especially value this point because I believe the team competed in a difficult setting and gave their all in two consecutive matches against very physical opponents. We were right there, with a chance to win.”