Athletic Club Secures Dominant Win Over Atletico Madrid
Athletic Club secured a 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid in a La Liga match. The goals for the Basque hosts at their San Mamés stadium were scored by Nico Williams, Robert Navarro, and Oihan Sancet. This result marked a disappointing Saturday afternoon for Diego Simeone’s side.
Athletic Club, managed by former Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic, achieved back-to-back wins with this result, having lost their initial two matches of the campaign. For Simeone’s Atletico, this was their first defeat of the season. The visitors struggled in the second half after Athletic Club scored two quick goals.
Match Breakdown and Manager Reactions
Atletico Madrid’s Pablo Barrios noted that Athletic Club’s two quick goals caused significant damage. Simeone attributed the defeat to “two minutes of inattention and poor decision-making in situations we should have handled better,” stating that Bilbao capitalized on that lapse.
In the first half, Atletico Madrid had more possession, holding 61.6% compared to Athletic Club’s 38.4%. Atletico also had more shots, with 15 attempts to Athletic Club’s 11. However, Atletico only managed 5 shots on target, while Athletic Club had 4. Atletico Madrid also had more total touches inside the opposition box, with 36 compared to Athletic Club’s 16.
The opening period saw Atletico Madrid create an early opportunity when Lee Kang-In struck a shot against the post in the third minute. Athletic Club goalkeeper Unai Simon made a save from Alex Baena as Atletico threatened. At the other end, Sancet narrowly missed with a shot into the side netting, and Pablo Barrios hit the post for Atletico before halftime.
The breakthrough came early in the second half. The Williams brothers combined for Athletic Club’s first goal in the 46th minute, with Inaki Williams’ deflected shot headed in by his younger sibling Nico. Just two minutes later, in the 48th minute, Navarro doubled Athletic Club’s lead after being played in by Inaki Williams.
Simeone commented on the second-half performance, stating, “We were good in the first half, but the game got away from us in those (couple of) minutes. We lacked in the second half everything that we had in the first.” He made several changes, including bringing on striker Julian Alvarez, who had recently returned from illness. Alvarez had an ineffective appearance, managing only one shot from the edge of the box, which Simon comfortably saved.
Sancet sealed Athletic Club’s victory in the 90th minute, slotting home a loose ball after a blocked cross. Coach Edin Terzic expressed his satisfaction, saying, “It’s always good to win games, especially at home. Today we are happy, and we are going to be very satisfied when we go to bed tonight, and then from tomorrow onwards we’ll prepare everything to go for the next (game).” He also noted, “We have six points from the last two games, but this won’t help us to reach all our targets by the end of the season.”
Statistical Overview and Upcoming Fixtures
In terms of overall match statistics, Atletico Madrid had a higher pass accuracy of 90.5% compared to Athletic Club’s 81.7%. Atletico also completed more total passes, with 631 to Athletic Club’s 387. Atletico had 8 corners to Athletic Club’s 3, and committed 6 fouls compared to Athletic Club’s 8. Athletic Club made 28 clearances, while Atletico Madrid made 18.
Atletico Madrid received one yellow card during the match, while Athletic Club received none. In terms of tackles, Athletic Club made 21 tackles with a 57.1% success rate, whereas Atletico Madrid made 8 tackles with a 62.5% success rate.
Following this defeat, Atletico Madrid is scheduled to play Liverpool in the Champions League at Anfield on Wednesday.
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Barcelona | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 9 | No Result No Result No Result W Result… |
| 2 Real Madrid | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 9 | No Result No Result W Result Win W Resu… |
| 3 Real Betis | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 9 | No Result No Result W Result Win W Resu… |
| 4 Deportivo de A Coruña | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 8 | No Result No Result D Result Draw D Res… |
| 5 Alavés | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 7 | No Result No Result No Result W Result… |
| 6 Osasuna | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | No Result No Result No Result D Result… |
| 7 Atletico Madrid | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 7 | No Result No Result W Result Win D Resu… |
| 8 Athletic Club | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 6 | No Result No Result L Result Loss L Res… |
| 9 Sevilla | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 6 | No Result No Result No Result W Result… |
| 10 Levante | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | No Result No Result No Result L Result… |
| 11 Racing de Santander | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 4 | No Result No Result D Result Draw L Res… |
| 12 Rayo Vallecano | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 4 | No Result No Result L Result Loss D Res… |
| 13 Real Sociedad | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 4 | No Result No Result L Result Loss L Res… |
| 14 Espanyol | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | No Result No Result No Result W Result… |
| 15 Getafe | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 3 | No Result No Result No Result L Result… |
In the league standings, before this match, Atletico Madrid was in 7th position, while Athletic Club was in 8th position. The previous encounter between these two teams saw Atletico Madrid win. Prior to that, Athletic Club won 1-0 on December 6, 2025, and Atletico Madrid won 1-0 on March 1, 2025.
Source: bbc.co.uk
