In a closely contested La Liga match on 11 February 2023, played at Mestalla Stadium, Athletic Bilbao managed to edge out Valencia with a 2-1 victory. Valencia's early goal by Samuel Castillejo, assisted by Ilaix Moriba, seemed to set the tone for the home side. However, Athletic Bilbao's resilience turned the game around with goals from Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet, assisted by Oscar De Marcos and Inaki Williams respectively, showing their strategic prowess.

Despite Valencia boasting a higher number of shots on target (8) compared to Bilbao's 3, the away side’s clinical finishing underlined the difference in the outcome. Valencia's shooters appeared wasteful with 10 shots off target, highlighting inefficiency in goal-scoring opportunities. In contrast, Bilbao’s 8 shots off target, though high, were mitigated by their critical successful attempts, demonstrating a more effective conversion rate.

Valencia's dominance in corner kicks (7 against Bilbao's 1) indicated their territorial control and attacking pressure. However, Athletic Bilbao managed to withstand this pressure, revealing their strong defensive organization. The higher number of fouls committed by Bilbao (17 compared to Valencia’s 11) indicated their aggressive approach, realigning their defense at crucial moments to stymie Valencia’s advances.

Yellow cards were evenly distributed (2 per team), showing a balanced disciplinary record, though individual performance like that of Oscar De Marcos, who managed an assist before being booked, was crucial in Bilbao's game plan. The definitive factor, however, was Bilbao's effective substitutions, maintaining their stamina and strategic edge, evident in their coordinated play leading to the winning goal.

This match epitomized the importance of efficiency over quantity, where Bilbao’s ability to capitalize on fewer goal-scoring opportunities and robust defensive strategies proved decisive against a more statistically dominant yet less effective Valencia side.

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