Athletic Bilbao's hopes of building momentum were dashed on Wednesday as they slumped to a 3-1 home defeat against Levante. A quickfire double from Roger Brugué and a second-half red card for Aymeric Laporte proved decisive, leaving the Basque club 11th in La Liga with nine points from seven games.
Brugué struck twice in two minutes to put the visitors in control. He opened the scoring in the 20th minute, finishing off a pass from Daniel Requena Sánchez, and added a second just two minutes later. Athletic, who enjoyed 62% possession and fired off 21 shots, found a lifeline from the penalty spot. Alex Berenguer converted in the 67th minute to make it 2-1. Any chance of a comeback evaporated when Laporte was shown a straight red card for a second bookable offence in the 73rd minute. Substitute Karl Etta Eyong then rubbed salt in the wounds by scoring Levante's third deep into stoppage time.
Team selections and changes
Ernesto Valverde's starting XI featured Unai Simón in goal, with a back four of Hugo Rincón, Yeray, Laporte and Yuri. Ruiz de Galarreta and Mikel Jauregizar anchored midfield, supporting an attacking trio of Berenguer, Robert Navarro and Johaneko Louis-Jean behind striker Maroan Sannadi. At half-time, Valverde introduced Peio Canales and Iñaki Williams. A triple change followed in the 81st minute, with Aitor Paredes, Alejandro Rego and Nico Williams all entering the fray.
Disciplinary incidents
Laporte's dismissal was the major talking point, but three other players were booked. Karl Etta Eyong was cautioned in the 77th minute for a foul, followed by Jeremy Toljan in the 80th. Yuri Berchiche received a yellow for dissent in the sixth minute of added time. The match was fiercely contested, with Athletic committing 12 fouls to Levante's 13.
The statistics tell a story of wasted opportunities. Athletic dominated the ball and created chances, posting an xG of 1.95, but only four of their 21 shots were on target. Levante were far more clinical, managing seven shots on target from 12 attempts and an xG of 2.05. This defeat halts a three-match unbeaten run in the league and leaves Athletic with a record of two wins, three draws and two losses. Attention now turns to a key home fixture against Getafe on Sunday, October 25th at 14:00. Getafe currently sit 14th, offering Athletic a chance to get back to winning ways.
Athletic Club manager Edin Terzić attributed the 3-1 defeat against Levante to individual errors at key moments. "We lost two unnecessary balls in midfield," the coach stated. The team, now 13th with 9 points, will look to react this Sunday against Getafe at San Mamés.
