A Fernando Llorente brace helped Athletic Bilbao to a 2-1 victory over Mirandes in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.
Ander Lambarri gave hope to competition surprise packets Mirandes with an injury-time strike, but Bilbao remain in a strong position to reach the final.
Mirandes began the game looking to prove once again that their current campaign has been no fluke.
The home side forced Athletic to defend in numbers for the opening minutes, looking to stop them from settling into the flow of play.
Despite the Segunda Division B side controlling the match, they were undone by Llorente’s intervention in the 17th minute when the Spain striker easily headed past Nauzet Perez.
Ten minutes later, Llorente cut into the middle of the 18-yard box, dribbled past two defenders and beat Nauzet with a well-placed strike to extend the advantage.
Mirandes were clearly deflated by the scoreline as they struggled to keep possession in the second half, with individual runs by Pablo Infante not enough to threaten Bilbao’s well-organised defence.
But when all hope seemed lost for the hosts, Lambarri sent his powerful strike sailing into goal, giving Mirandes an idea boost ahead of next week’s return leg at San Mames.
