Nico Williams rescued a point for Athletic Bilbao with a late goal in their La Liga matchday 12 fixture. The Basque side drew 1-1 at Osasuna's El Sadar in a hard-fought contest that swung late. This result, following a recent run of one win, one draw and three losses in their last five matches, confirms the team's seventh-place standing, having accrued 15 points from their first ten games.
Athletic, sitting seventh in the table with 15 points, started with Unai Simón in goal behind a back four of Hugo Rincón, Dani Vivian, Aymeric Laporte and Yuri. Peio Canales and Beñat Gerenabarrena anchored the midfield, with Álex Berenguer and Robert Navarro on the wings. The attack was led by the Williams brothers, Iñaki and Nico.
The first half was controlled by the hosts, who pressed high and created the better chances. Goalkeeper Unai Simón was called into action a couple of times to keep the score level. The opening period ended with a yellow card for Jon Moncayola in added time.
The late twist
The pattern continued after the break, with Athletic struggling to break down a compact Osasuna defence. The substitution added more energy, but the breakthrough remained elusive.
The decisive moment came in the 84th minute. Following a move down the left, Nico Williams found space in the box and fired a low, cross-shot past Aitor Fernández. The goal looked to have secured all three points for the visitors, but their lead was short-lived.
In the 90th minute, from a set-piece, centre-back Alejandro Catena rose to head home a Moi Gómez delivery, levelling the score at 1-1. The final result reflected a balanced match where Athletic held an advantage in possession (60%) and expected goals, posting an xG of 2.32 to Osasuna's 0.72.
The referee showed late yellow cards to Ante Budimir, Oihan Sancet and Iker Muñoz in stoppage time. The point leaves Athletic with a record of 4 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses from their first ten games, 15 points behind leaders Barcelona. Their overall season tally now stands at 14 goals scored and 10 conceded.
Their next fixture is at San Mamés on Sunday, November 22nd, against Espanyol, who currently sit 14th in the standings. Top scorer Álex Berenguer, with 4 goals in 11 appearances this season, will be key to securing a home win.
