Alex Berenguer’s late strike secured a 1–0 victory for Athletic Club over Atletico Madrid at San Mamés, giving the hosts just their third win in nine matches.

Atletico, known for fast starts and having scored within the first 20 minutes in four of their previous five games, came close to breaking the deadlock early. In the 18th minute, Unai Simón produced a sharp save to deny Thiago Almada’s cushioned volley.

Athletic responded with their own chances, as Gorka Guruzeta dragged a shot wide and Oihan Sancet saw a powerful header fly just past the post. With both teams struggling to score in recent meetings — only one of the last nine head-to-heads saw both sides find the net — the first goal promised to be decisive.

The hosts continued to target Sancet in the final minutes of the first half, with the forward forcing a save from Jan Oblak and heading over from another delivery. Atletico also threatened, with Julian Alvarez firing narrowly wide of Simón’s post.

Most of Athletic’s goals conceded this season had come after halftime, and with Atletico having opened the scoring in all 15 of their league games, fans were on edge when Nicolas González climbed highest for a header but failed to keep it down.

Ten minutes into the second half, Guruzeta again missed a golden chance following a low cross from Nico Williams. Despite a flurry of late opportunities, the quality of finishing remained poor. Giuliano Simeone could not trouble Simón with a long-range effort, and Sancet cleared the bar for Ernesto Valverde’s side. Williams came close after outpacing Alexander Sorloth but could not beat Oblak at the near post.

The decisive moment arrived in the closing stages. After Simón saved a Sorloth header, Athletic quickly countered down the left. Williams delivered a perfectly timed pass to Berenguer, who struck first-time from 25 yards past the diving Oblak, sealing the win. The result condemned Atletico to consecutive LaLiga away defeats for the first time since January 2024.