Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde was delighted after their 3-2 win against Girona on Monday night.
Girona were outplayed on Monday night as Athletic won 3-2, with Alex Berenguer scoring twice.
Valverde said: "It has been very intense, it was also in the first leg, because they are a great team that always finds the free player and has decisive players up front.
"With the 3-1 I knew that it was not closed because they never give up.
"There are three points. It has been one of the most demanding games because there have been almost no breaks in pace. If we didn't play like that we couldn't have won it.
"From the emotional point of view and the points, it means a lot for everything Girona is doing this season. It is essential to see us compete with these teams. They are three points that mean a lot and we will see now that great games are coming."
He added, "They, with one more full-back in the midfield, force you a lot in the inside game. You have to make an effort. In the first half there were chances, but it was difficult for us to finish and create more danger for them. The key has been that they wouldn't attack too many times and they would see that we could also hurt them."