Athletic Bilbao needed an own goal to salvage a point at San Mamés against Elche (1-1). The Basque side came from behind after Facundo Buonanotte's second-half penalty, with defender Víctor Chust's deflection securing a draw that leaves Edin Terzic's team with seven points from five matches.
Elche took an early lead in the second half. After five minutes, Facundo Buonanotte converted a penalty to make it 0-1. Athletic, coming off a convincing win against Atlético Madrid, needed to react. The equaliser arrived in the 79th minute when a cross from Álex Berenguer was deflected by Víctor Chust into his own net. Goalkeeper Unai Simón had a quiet game, protected by a defence in which Yuri Berchiche was important.
How the match unfolded
Terzic set up the team in a 4-5-1 formation, with Iñaki Williams as the lone striker and Nico Williams and Robert Navarro on the wings. Elche, with a 3-4-3, were solid in defence, where Roy Revivo stood out with 36 accurate passes. "El volante de Elche efectuó 36 pases correctos," Revivo said after the match. Athletic created chances, with six shots on target and eight off target, but failed to beat goalkeeper Matías Dituro with a shot of their own.
The manager made substitutions in search of a winning goal. In the 64th minute of the second half, Jesús Areso and Iñigo Ruiz came off for Johaneko Louis-Jean and Mikel Jauregizar. Later, Robert Navarro and Iñaki Williams were replaced by Álex Berenguer and Maroan Sannadi. Berenguer, who came on to provide width, received a yellow card for unsporting conduct shortly after entering the pitch.
League standing
With this draw, Athletic add a seventh point and remain in eighth place in LaLiga EA Sports. The team shows an irregular run in their last five matches, with two wins, one draw and two defeats. The next fixture is a visit to Levante, a key duel to continue climbing the table.
The squad faces this period of the season with some players sidelined. Gorka Guruzeta, Iñaki Williams and Peio Canales are currently injured, absences that Terzic must manage in the coming weeks. The full list of available players can be seen in the squad section. The match against Levante will be played next weekend.
The report in full is at RPP Noticias
