Athletic Club defeated Real Sociedad 2-1 at San Mamés in an electric Basque derby on a Monday night in Bilbao, halting the visitors’ four-match winning streak in La Liga and giving the hosts a vital standings boost. A first-half stoppage-time penalty from Álex Berenguer decided a tightly contested fixture featuring goals from Iñaki Williams and Luka Sučić, alongside a standout performance from goalkeeper Unai Simón just days after winning the Yashin Trophy in London.
San Mamés Derbi Begins at Breakneck Speed
The opening forty-five minutes played out at a blistering pace as Athletic pressed aggressively from the opening whistle. Just sixty seconds into the match, Berenguer missed a glaring chance from close range after failing to cleanly strike a cross right in front of goal. Shortly after, Athletic suffered a blow when Maroan pulled up injured and left the pitch in tears at the five-minute mark, replaced by Robert Navarro. Despite the early setback, the team coached by Edin Terzić maintained high intensity, overwhelming a disorganized Real Sociedad side for the opening half-hour.
No hay conexión más fuerte como la que tienen los hermanos… Y ESTO DE LOS WILLIAMS ES TREMENDO🔥Asistencia de Nico desde el centro del campo y vaselina con SUSPENSE de Iñaki en el Derbi Vasco💥#LALIGAenDAZN⚽ pic.twitter.com/DlRa3LNa1j
The pressure yielded a breakthrough in the 14th minute. Nico Williams slipped a precise through ball to his brother Iñaki Williams, who chipped deftly over advancing goalkeeper Álex Remiro to make it 1-0. Athletic threatened to double their lead on a quick counterattack orchestrated by Sergio Canales, though neither Nico Williams nor Berenguer could finish. Instead, Real Sociedad struck back with their first genuine attack of the night when Luka Sučić unleashed a powerful long-range strike from the edge of the area to equalize.
Unai Simón Holds the Line for Athletic
Conceding the equalizer visibly rattled the hosts, leaving Athletic dependent on Unai Simón to weather a sudden surge from the visitors. Simón justified his newly minted status as the world’s best goalkeeper by turning away sharp attempts from Ander Barrenetxea in the 34th minute and Mikel Oyarzabal four minutes later. The international shot-stopper’s quick reflexes kept the score level as the match approached the interval.
Berenguer stepped up to the spot and converted with a hint of suspense in stoppage time, restoring Athletic’s lead at 2-1 and capping a breathless opening period.
High-Intensity Second Half and Late Siege
The frantic pace continued after the restart, turning the match into an open, end-to-end battle. Real Sociedad were forced to take risks while Athletic maintained defensive discipline, hunting for a third goal on the counter. Iñaki Williams threatened with a sharp turn and shot in the 49th minute, while Sučić fired over the bar moments later following a setup by Carlos Soler.
As the match entered its final quarter, the visitors seized greater possession but found themselves repeatedly thwarted by Simón. The Athletic goalkeeper produced the save of the match in the 72nd minute, diving to claw away a fierce volley from Soler. Soler remained Real Sociedad’s most dangerous outlet in the absence of Sučić and came close again in the 78th minute, but mis-hit a cross from teammate Orri Steinn Oskarsson.
The final minutes saw a wave of fatigue sweep across the pitch. Real Sociedad, managed from the touchline by Pellegrino Matarazzo’s staff, threw numbers forward in search of an equalizer. The resulting pressure generated late tension around San Mamés, but produced no further clear sights at goal as Athletic secured all three points.
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