Saint Lawrence is in love with Muniain and it seems that Iker is also from Ciclón. As if it were love at first sight, love at first sight… With these feelings the film of the former player was crowned Athletic Bilbao in his first match in Argentine football. And in the end it turns out to be the most important thing, because he chose this exotic destination to enjoy a different experience.
If Muniain had been seduced by videos of San Lorenzo fans, he confirmed everything live and in person. The Pedro Bidegain stadium was full, with tickets sold out. And the party in the stands was huge. The reception was impressive with the blue and red smoke, the fireworks, the giant flags and a mosaic with the word Boedo, the name of the neighborhood where the club is based.
Iker Muniain greets San Lorenzo fans as they enter the Pedro Bidegain stadium.
Muniain’s representatives asked to live for a while next to the San Lorenzo hooligans and they spent a few minutes there. They wanted to feel there, with the most unruly and inventive. They were treated with the utmost respect. And then they relocated to the official box, next to Iker’s brother. From that spot, the footballer’s girlfriend also watched the game, taking photos with her cell phone of fans who greeted her through the glass and who wore Basque berets and San Lorenzo shirts with the number 80, the number of the former Bilbao player. In addition, some Barça fans chose to wear Athletic shirts. And there was a refrain: ‘Vasco, dear, Boedo is with you’.
Muniain fights for the ball with Christian Ordóñez, from Vélez
The stadium’s voice, when announcing the line-ups, stretched out the pronunciation of the number 80, the name Iker and the surname Muniain. And the San Lorenzo fans exploded with a sensational ovation. The player assimilated it all from the field of play, where he was doing the warm-up tasks with his players.
Muniain was a substitute and, sitting on the bench, he sang San Lorenzo songs at the same time as the fans. The part of a lyric he sang: “…Boedo is a carnival, here it is, the most faithful, the Glorious Butteler fan base…”
The problem began when the match started. Because Ciclón started off sleepily and Vélez scored a goal very quickly, in the third minute. Too much advantage for the only leader of the league and the best team in Argentine football.
The former captain of Athletic reacts on the bench before the match in which San Lorenzo faced Vélez Sarsfield.
Iker came on in the 66th minute. Surprisingly, the coach placed him close to the central midfield and far from the rival area. In that area, Muniain handled the ball wisely, proposed associations, threw himself to the ground to recover it and received a hard foul. He was seen to be active, engaged, but without “accomplices” to play with. In the end, San Lorenzo had some chances to equalize. A clear penalty was not awarded. And they ended up losing 0-1 to the leader and sensation Vélez.
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All the media outlets paid special attention to Muniain and many also to his family. Iker was not among those chosen to make statements after the match.
The defeat was the only stain on a special, unforgettable day, full of sensations. Iker Muniain already knows what it is like to feel Argentine football from within. Now he has to continue enjoying it and playing in his own way, so that the experience is complete and love at first sight does not remain just that.
Muniain made his debut with San Lorenzo coming off the bench
