Athletic Bilbao was forced to abandon the match against Rayo Vallecano without having completed a minute of play, after the match was suspended due to the throwing of paper objects and plastic balls on the grass. With only 13 minutes played, the referee decided to stop the match, becoming the second match suspended in the eight days of the season. The first case was that of Levante, affected by heavy rains that left the playing field in an inadequate state.
Jesús Areso, the team's coach, described the situation as “very uncomfortable” during the press conference in Lezama. “Those are points that remain there, the classification and the games continue to flow, the teams play and we are not moving from that position with 8 points,” he commented. Areso stressed the importance of concentrating on the next duel against Valencia, which will be played in Mestalla and which has a new coach, the Mexican Javier Aguirre. Athletic, who have played two fewer games, will have to face the challenge without having gained the advantage of points advantage.
The Bilbao team played its last competitive match on September 19 against Alavés in San Mamés, and next Saturday it will have to compete again after almost a month without official matches. Areso emphasized that “this is not good for any team and not for the player either.” He added that, despite the training, “the scenario of the ninety minutes, the scenario and the demand of a complete match is only experienced in a competitive match.” The coach expressed his desire for the League to return to normal as soon as possible.
The team's right back also described the experience as “a strange situation, a situation that I have never had to experience as a footballer.” He said the team did not know for sure how the suspension would be resolved or when play would resume, describing the situation as “unreal” and hoping it would not be repeated. With the suspension of the match against Rayo, Athletic faces the uncertainty of how to recover the lost points and maintain its position in the table while preparing for the next challenge against Valencia.