Athletic Club drew a blank for the third consecutive match in major European competition — a first in their history — yet they walked away from San Mamés with plenty of admiration after battling to a hard-earned 0–0 stalemate against UEFA Champions League (UCL) holders Paris Saint-Germain.

Despite entering the contest with an underwhelming European campaign (W1, D1, L3), the atmosphere inside San Mamés was electric, and the hosts seemed to thrive on it. Their pressing was intense but measured, unsettling PSG without leaving themselves overly exposed.

Chances, however, were scarce. Both sides lacked cutting edge in the final third: PSG were missing Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi, while Athletic were without the lively Robert Navarro. The first meaningful save of the night came in the 31st minute when Matvey Safonov, standing in for PSG, palmed away an ambitious free-kick from Álex Berenguer. At the other end, Unai Simón wasn’t tested until just before the interval, when he reacted sharply to deny Senny Mayulu from close range.

Mayulu threatened again early in the second half, only to be thwarted once more by Simón. Moments earlier, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia delivered the cross that led to that chance, and João Neves had strong appeals for a penalty waved away after a shove from Yuri Berchiche.

Simón continued to justify his status as Spain’s first-choice keeper, getting down well to block Warren Zaïre-Emery’s effort, while Bradley Barcola rattled the bar with the rebound. PSG introduced Désiré Doué in search of a breakthrough, but the returning French talent made little impact, and Athletic grew back into the match in the latter stages despite lacking inspiration in attack.

The hosts survived another scare late on as Simón produced a sharp stop to deny Fabián Ruiz, with Berchiche racing back to clear the midfielder’s follow-up effort off the line.

The result marked PSG’s first scoreless UCL away game since November 2024. Even so, the reigning champions remain third in the league-phase standings. Athletic, meanwhile, sit a distant 28th — outside the play-off places and with work to do.