With style and character, the Submarine defeat Athletic to claim a highly prestigious away victory
This Villarreal side is one of the best in the club’s history and proved it at San Mamés (1-2). The Yellow Submarine defeated Athletic Club convincingly thanks to goals from Cardona and Alfon in the first half. The hosts, despite pulling one back and sparking hope through Guruzeta late on, ultimately ended the match empty-handed.
Beyond the prestige of winning at San Mamés, where the Yellows had not prevailed since 2018, the victory in Bilbao gives the Submarine a major boost in the race for the Champions League, extending their lead over their closest challengers, Atlético Madrid and Real Betis, who now trail by four and 16 points respectively.
With the vintage aesthetic of the retro matchday and an old-school atmosphere, Villarreal faced Athletic Club at one of the great temples of Spanish football. Dressed in spectacular retro kits, both the Yellows and the Red and Whites were eager to put on an attractive display worthy of such a special occasion.
Marcelino’s side arrived in Bilbao sitting in a privileged third position, despite a recent defeat against Girona at Montilivi (1-0). At La Catedral, the Yellows set themselves the goal of improving their away form and securing their first victory as visitors in the second half of the season. Achieving that would represent a statement of intent in the Champions League race, following defeats for Atlético Madrid and RC Celta, and draws for Real Betis and Real Sociedad.
The home side approached the match in a much more difficult situation. Valverde’s team, who also competed in the Champions League this season, were lying eleventh in the table, having managed just one win in their last five league matches.
To win at San Mamés, Marcelino made several changes to the starting line-up. Cardona, Buchanan, Oluwaseyi and Alfon all came in from the start, having not featured in the previous match at Montilivi. The game began with plenty of balance and mutual respect between both sides.
A flawless transition for the opening goal
Villarreal broke the deadlock in the 26th minute. Marcelino’s men launched an excellent transition, with a through ball for Tani Oluwaseyi, who controlled the ball and laid it off to Cardona, arriving from deep. The Catalan wing-back showed great composure to lift the ball over the goalkeeper with a delicate chip and make it 0-1.
After the opener, the Submarine felt very comfortable in the match. They controlled the game, held onto their advantage and kept the Basque side at bay, while finding clarity and danger on the break.
Cleverness and belief to score the second at San Mamés
In first-half stoppage time, Alfon showed great determination by chasing a long ball in behind Athletic’s defence. Despite Lekue having the advantage, the winger pressed aggressively, stole the ball from the defender and finished calmly past Unai Simón at the near post. A reward for persistence and a 0-2 lead before the break.
At the start of the second half, Athletic pushed forward in search of a way back into the game, which allowed Villarreal more space to counter-attack. Before the 50th minute, Tajon Buchanan came close to making it 0-3, but the Canadian was denied by Unai Simón in a one-on-one after receiving a perfectly weighted through ball from Gueye in a move that had also involved Gerard and Oluwaseyi.
In those moments, Marcelino’s side looked to put the game to bed, while Athletic continued to press high, driven on by their supporters. Despite their efforts, Valverde’s men struggled to create clear chances. After the hour mark, only a header from Laporte at a corner forced Luiz Júnior into a routine save.
Late on, a long-range effort from Mikautadze almost caught Unai Simón out. The Georgian attempted his luck from near the halfway line after intercepting a misplaced pass from Laporte, with the ball narrowly flying over the crossbar.
Guruzeta pulls one back late on
In the 83rd minute, Athletic Club found a goal that brought them back into the contest. Guruzeta made it 1-2 by getting on the end of a cross from Yuri on the left. Before the 90th minute, Nico Pepe found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
In the end, Villarreal saw out the result and claimed a huge three points at La Catedral.
