Athletic Bilbao produced one of the most striking performances of the weekend in Liga. At San Mamés, the Basques largely dominated Atlético Madrid (3-0), in a match that remained balanced for a long time before completely tipping over after the break.
A closed first half
Both teams went into the dressing rooms without having found a breakthrough. Atlético had nonetheless shown some attacking intent, notably through Kang-in Lee and Álex Baena, but Unai Simón was alert in the Basque goal.
A fatal start to the second half for Atlético
Everything changed as soon as the players returned from the dressing rooms. In the 46th minute, Nico Williams opened the scoring with a header. Two minutes later, Robert Navarro took advantage of a quick transition to double the lead with a superb finish. Within a few moments, Athletic had completely taken control of the match.
Diego Simeone attempted to react with several substitutions, notably bringing on Julián Álvarez, Koke and Cristian Romero. But Atlético never really managed to get back into the game.
Oihan Sancet eventually added a third goal in the 90th minute to definitively seal the Basque success.
A strong message for the rest of the season
This victory confirms the ambitions of a particularly appealing Athletic side under Edin Terzić. For Atlético, on the other hand, this heavy defeat is a serious warning after a start to the season that was supposed to allow the new signings to quickly find their bearings.
At San Mamés, Athletic above all sent a message: they will need to be reckoned with this season.
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