Athletic Club extended their unbeaten run to four (W2, D2), but couldn’t find a way to win a game they dominated in a 0-0 draw with Deportivo Alavés at the San Mamés.

2026/2027 La Liga

0-0

Match Report

The hosts dominated throughout the first half, pinning Alavés back and enjoying the lion’s share of possession. Despite that, clear-cut chances were tough to come by, with the Athletic players taking an extra touch and too often taking the safe option as the visitors looked comfortable in defence. Robert Navarro was the first to threaten Antonio Sivera with a driving run into the box, but faced with a narrow angle, his tame shot didn’t give the stopper anything to worry about.

Sivera did have to look more alert when the ball broke to Mikel Jauregizar on the edge of the area, getting down low to make a smart save from the powerful shot. Johaneko Louis-Jean also came close with an effort from distance which drifted just over the bar, but the visitors held on until HT with the game goalless. That pattern continued after the break, with the home side largely reduced to pot-shots from the edge of the area that failed to hit the target.

A double change from Edin Terzić just after the hour mark inspired his side to lift the tempo somewhat, and Sivera had his fingertips stung by a thumping effort from Yuri Berchiche. Having defended excellently in the opening hour, the visitors were almost undone by a lapse of concentration from Nahuel Tenaglia. Nico Williams reacted quickest to a loose ball in the box and was felled by the Argentine defender, but a tame Oihan Sancet penalty was saved by Sivera. The visitors failed to land a shot on target but had a huge chance to win it in the final moments, only to be denied by a fantastic block from Álex Berenguer as Antonio Blanco looked poised to tap in following a counter.

Home wins have been hard to come by for Athletic, with this stalemate meaning they’ve only won five of their last 17 at home (D5, L7). Despite that, they’ve recovered from back-to-back defeats to open their season to move up to eighth. Having offered next to nothing as an attacking force, the draw ends a run of two straight defeats for Alavés and strengthens their position in the top six.

Match Events

71' Penalty Missed!

Line-ups

Athletic Club XI: Berchiche, Laporte, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, I.Williams, Unai Simón, Robert Navarro, Oihan Sancet, Aitor Paredes, Nico Williams, Johaneko Louis-Jean, Mikel Jauregizar

Subs: Y.Álvarez, Berenguer, Jesús Areso, Beñat Prados, Álvaro Djaló, Nico Serrano, Álex Padilla, Beñat Gerenabarrena, Hugo Rincón, Alejandro Rego, Maroan Sannadi, Peio Canales

Alaves XI: Mariano, Castro, Sivera, L.Boyé, Carlos Protesoni, Ander Guevara, Nahuel Tenaglia, Ville Koski, Pablo Ibáñez, Abde Rebbach, Nicolás Valentini

Subs: Denis Suarez, Alena, A.Martínez, Antonio Blanco, Adrián Rodríguez, Miguel Rodríguez, Hugo Novoa, Youssef Enríquez, Selu Diallo, Ángel Pérez, Xanet Oláiz, Izei Hernández