Athletic thrashed Atlético Madrid 3-0: San Mamés erupted after two goals in two minutes
Athletic Club convincingly defeated Atlético de Madrid 3-0 at San Mamés in Bilbao and on 5 September 2026 handed Diego Simeone's team their first defeat of the new LaLiga season. The fourth-round match was still completely open after the first 45 minutes, but it fell apart for the visitors almost immediately after they returned from the dressing room. Nico Williams scored in the 46th minute, Robert Navarro doubled the lead just two minutes later, and Oihan Sancet sealed one of Athletic's most convincing victories over the Madrid club in recent years late on. LaLiga's official results confirm the final 3-0 score, while match reports state that the key part of the contest was condensed into just a few opening minutes of the second half.
The victory is particularly important because of the way Athletic responded after a difficult start to the season. Edin Terzić's team lost their first two league matches, against Sevilla at San Mamés and Barcelona away, before reversing the early direction of their season with a 2-0 victory over Celta in Vigo. Against Atlético came a second consecutive league triumph and the first home league victory of the season. Atlético, on the other hand, arrived in Bilbao unbeaten and with seven points from their first three rounds, so a three-goal defeat represents the first serious setback for a team that had started the championship well.
Atlético had chances in the first half, but Athletic survived the pressure
The final score may give the impression that Athletic controlled the match from the start, but the course of the first half was considerably more balanced. According to FotMob's report, Lee Kang-in had the first big chance as early as the third minute, when he struck the post after entering the penalty area. It was an early sign that Atlético could find space in Athletic's defence, especially when quick passing combinations allowed them to escape the home side's initial press. Athletic tried to respond by pushing forward more aggressively, but the visitors created the more dangerous situations for much of the first half.
Álex Baena forced Unai Simón into a save midway through the first half, and Atlético threatened several more times toward the end of the half. Match reports mention attempts by Giuliano Simeone and Ademola Lookman, while Pablo Barrios hit the outside of the post in stoppage time. AS recorded eight shots by the visitors compared with three by Athletic at half-time, as well as greater possession for Atlético, confirming that Simeone's team had enough situations before the break to steer the match in their favour. Nevertheless, Unai Simón and the home defence preserved the 0-0 scoreline, and that unconverted pressure later proved decisive.
Athletic also had a personnel problem in the first half. Yeray Álvarez was injured toward the end of the half after a collision and could not continue, so Aitor Paredes came on at the start of the second half. Despite that change in the defensive line, the home side did not retreat after the break. Quite the opposite, Terzić's team raised the intensity and completely changed the character of the match in a matter of moments.
Nico Williams opened the scoring, Navarro immediately doubled the lead
The first goal came practically from the first serious attack after the teams returned to the pitch. According to AS's chronology, Nico Williams was involved in building the move, the ball went through Robert Navarro to Iñaki Williams, and after his shot or attempted final touch, younger brother Nico was in the right place and headed past Jan Oblak. FotMob states that the goal was scored only 31 seconds after the start of the second half. For Atlético, who had finished the first 45 minutes looking better and with more attempts, it was a sudden psychological and tactical blow.
The visitors had not even had time to reorganise after the first goal before Athletic struck again in the 48th minute. Nico Williams won the ball, Iñaki Williams continued the move toward Robert Navarro, and Navarro beat Alejandro Grimaldo in a one-on-one situation before precisely finding the opposite side of the net. In only a few minutes, San Mamés went from witnessing a tense and even contest to an entirely different match, with the home side leading 2-0 and Atlético forced into a riskier approach.
After the match, Diego Simeone identified precisely that brief period as the moment when his team lost control. In comments reported by AS and FotMob, he said that two or five minutes after the break were enough for the match to change completely and also placed responsibility for the poor start to the second half on the coaching staff. At the same time, he acknowledged that Athletic took advantage of the lapse in concentration and deserved to win. That assessment describes the difference between the two halves well: Atlético created more before the break, but Athletic were considerably more decisive after it in the moments when the result was being determined.
Simeone reacted from the bench, but Unai Simón did not allow a comeback
After falling 0-2 behind, Atlético had to change both their rhythm and their line-up. Around the 58th minute, Simeone made a major group of substitutions, introducing Koke, Julián Álvarez, Cristian Romero and Arnau Ortiz in an attempt to increase the number of players capable of taking responsibility on the ball and attacking the space behind Athletic's midfield line. The changes gave the visitors somewhat more energy, but they did not significantly alter the balance of power in dangerous areas. After gaining the lead, Athletic could play more compactly, close the centre and wait for opportunities in transition.
Julián Álvarez had Atlético's best chance to get back into the match in the second half. AS and FotMob report his shot in the 70th and 71st minute respectively, when Unai Simón reacted low to the ground and kept his clean sheet intact. It was one of the home goalkeeper's key saves because a goal for 2-1 would have left the visitors enough time to apply renewed pressure. Instead, Athletic maintained a secure advantage and continued to control the match without needing long periods of possession.
The statistical picture shows why the number of shots alone was not enough for Atlético. According to data cited by FotMob, the visitors finished the match with 15 attempts, while Athletic had 11, but the home team created higher-quality finishing situations and were far more efficient when the biggest chances opened up. FotMob assigned Athletic 1.35 expected goals and Atlético 0.86. AS also recorded noticeably greater possession for the visitors, but the result showed that Athletic managed the most important moments of the match better.
Sancet put the finishing touch on the victory late on
Atlético tried to push more players into the final third in the closing stages, but lacked the precision needed for sustained pressure. Athletic, meanwhile, maintained their discipline and waited for an opportunity to completely close out the contest with a third goal. It arrived in the 90th minute. According to AS, Iñaki Williams sent the ball toward Beñat Gerenabarrena, his low cross was cleared by the Atlético defence, and the ball fell to Oihan Sancet, who calmly finished for the final 3-0 score.
Sancet's goal rounded off a very strong start to the second half and confirmed that Athletic were not content simply to protect their lead. After the match, Terzić particularly highlighted Sancet's versatility and his ability to play in several attacking positions. In comments reported by AS, he said that the midfielder had played an excellent match and emphasised his importance to the team. It is also significant for Athletic that all three scorers are players capable of deciding matches in different ways: Nico Williams with speed and runs into space, Navarro with individual quality in one-on-one situations, and Sancet with runs from deeper positions and a feel for finishing.
Terzić also stressed the broader significance of two consecutive victories after the match. Following wins over Celta and Atlético, Athletic collected six points in just two rounds and eased the pressure created by the opening two defeats. The coach did not want to draw major conclusions about the team's ultimate prospects for the season, but said that the team was ready to fight for every three points. Such caution is understandable after only four league matches, but a 3-0 victory over an Atlético side that had previously been unbeaten gives Athletic a considerably more convincing position than they had at the end of August.
Atlético suffer first defeat of the season and receive a warning before a demanding schedule
For Atlético, the defeat in Bilbao does not erase a good start to the championship, but it raises questions about the team's stability when a match changes suddenly. The Madrid club did not lose in their first three league rounds, collected seven points and, before arriving at San Mamés, had a 7-3 goal difference, according to LaLiga data. In Bilbao, however, they conceded two goals immediately after the break and found no way to regain control despite having more possession and a higher total number of shots. Simeone admitted after the match that Athletic deserved to win and stressed that his team is still in the process of being built.
The defeat comes at a time when Atlético are entering a very congested schedule. According to LaLiga's official calendar, the Madrid team face an away match against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League as early as 9 September, followed by a league trip to Real Sociedad on 13 September. This means there is not much time for lengthy analysis. After Bilbao, the priority will be to restore defensive concentration and efficiency in front of goal, especially because the first part of the match at San Mamés showed that Atlético can reach good positions, but without converting them such an advantage quickly loses its value.
Simeone's reaction after the match was unusually direct: instead of looking for excuses in individual situations, he emphasised the collective loss of concentration and accepted part of the responsibility for the start of the second half. He also did not dwell on a potentially questionable situation before Athletic's first goal, pointing out that the move lasted long enough for his team to have stopped it earlier. In doing so, he returned the focus to the problem Atlético will have to solve before their next matches: how to prevent a few poorly played minutes from undoing what the team had built throughout the entire preceding part of the contest.
San Mamés once again a difficult ground for Atlético
The victory also carries additional historical significance. According to statistics reported by FotMob, Athletic recorded their biggest league victory over Atlético since January 2013, when they also won 3-0 at San Mamés. The same source states that the Madrid visitors have had considerably more trouble at this ground in recent years than during the earlier part of Simeone's era. After a period in which Atlético frequently took points away from Bilbao between 2014 and 2017, Athletic have won six of the last nine home league meetings against this opponent.
That trend does not mean San Mamés itself explains the result, but it shows how well this type of match in front of their home supporters suits Athletic. High intensity, aggressive duels, quick switches of play to the flanks and the ability to turn a few minutes of strong pressure into concrete chances once again came to the fore. Against Atlético, this was most evident at the start of the second half, when the home players punished every delayed reaction and, in a short period, created a gap that the visitors could no longer erase.
It is equally important for Athletic that the victory did not come solely through an attacking explosion. The team kept a clean sheet despite Atlético hitting the woodwork in the first half, having several shots from promising positions and introducing additional individual quality in the second half. Unai Simón, the defence led by Aymeric Laporte and the rest of the team did enough work to ensure that the two early goals after the break became a firm platform for victory rather than merely a temporary advantage.
Athletic find momentum after a poor start
Four rounds are not enough for final conclusions about the season, but the direction of Athletic's form has visibly changed. After defeats to Sevilla and Barcelona, the team could have entered a period of uncertainty, but responded with victories over Celta and Atlético, with a combined goal difference of 5-0 in those two matches. Such a run is particularly valuable because it came against different types of opponents and in two different matches: in Vigo, they needed to stabilise the season away from home, while against Atlético they had to withstand difficult moments and then take advantage of their own period of dominance.
The players around whom Athletic's attack is expected to be built also played important roles. The Williams brothers were directly involved in the first two moves that ended in goals, Navarro converted his opportunity into one of the key moments of the match, and Sancet rewarded an all-round performance with the third goal. For Terzić, this is an encouraging sign because the attacking contribution is not coming from just one source. When Athletic can combine width, penetrating runs, play between the lines and late arrivals from deeper areas, they become a considerably more difficult opponent for teams seeking to control matches through possession.
The most important message from Bilbao, therefore, is not merely the 3-0 scoreline. Athletic showed the ability to survive a period in which the opponent was more dangerous, adapt after a forced defensive change and then make maximum use of the moment when the match opened up. Atlético had enough chances in the first half for the story to go in a different direction, but they did not turn them into a goal. Athletic did exactly the opposite after the break: they converted two big chances in quick succession into two goals, and Sancet confirmed the final margin late on.
For the visitors, it is their first defeat of the season and a clear reminder of how thin the line can be between control and completely losing a match. For Athletic, meanwhile, the victory at San Mamés is more than three points: after a turbulent start, the team have put together two league victories, rediscovered their attacking efficiency and beaten in front of their supporters an opponent that arrived in Bilbao unbeaten. Continuity after a result like this will show whether the 3-0 win over Atlético was an isolated high point or the moment when Athletic truly found a more stable rhythm in the new season.
Sources:
- LaLiga - official result of the Athletic Club - Atlético de Madrid match and basic competition data (link)
- Athletic Club - official line-ups, coaches, venue and kick-off time of the match at San Mamés (link)
- AS - match chronology, chances, goals, substitutions and statistical overview of the contest (link)
- FotMob - match report, expected goals and historical context of head-to-head meetings (link)
- AS - Diego Simeone's comments after the defeat and his assessment of the key minutes of the match (link)
- AS - Edin Terzić's comments after the victory and his assessment of Athletic's form and Oihan Sancet's performance (link)
- LaLiga - official schedule of Atlético de Madrid's upcoming matches (link)