Athletic Bilbao dealt a heavy blow to Atletico Madrid's ambitions after defeating them 3-0 at “San Mamés“ in a match from the fourth round of La Liga. The Basques played an extremely strong second half and achieved a convincing success with goals from Nico Williams, Robert Navarro and Oihan Sanset. The first half did not offer goals, but both teams had their chances. Atletico started more actively and early on Kang-in Lee hit the post, and later Alex Baena put Unai Simon's goal under pressure. The hosts gradually equalized the game and at the break the score remained 0-0.
After the game resumed, however, Athletic exploded. Just a minute after the start of the second half, Nico Williams opened the scoring with a header after an attack in which his brother Inaki also participated. Almost immediately after, Robert Navarro doubled the hosts' lead. A counterattack, started by Nico Williams and continued by Inaki, ended with an excellent performance by Navarro for 2:0.
Diego Simeone reacted with four substitutions, among which Julián Álvarez and Koke appeared in the game, but Atletico never managed to get back into the match. The home team's goalkeeper Unai Simon saved a shot by Julián Álvarez and preserved his team's lead.
Atletico put an end to the dispute in the 90th minute. Oihan Sanset took advantage of a situation in the penalty area and made the final 3:0. Thus, Edin Terzic's team recorded its first victory at “San Mamés“ under the leadership of the German specialist.
For Atletico, the defeat is the first of the season. Simeone's team failed to show enough sharpness after the break and was punished severely by the hosts. At the same time, Athletic showed serious organization and character, with the club's official website describing the performance as a victory forged by a “magic” run at the start of the second half, LaLiga reports.