Sevilla beats ten-man Athletic Bilbao 3-1 at San Mames to secure second straight win
Luis Garcia Plaza's side took full points from San Mames after Yuri Berchiche received an 11th-minute red card and goals from Oso, Chidera Ejuke, and Isaac Romero secured a 3-1 victory.
Early dismissal and opening goal
Before kickoff in front of 49,416 spectators at San Mames on 22 August 2026, the home crowd offered a divided reception of whistles and applause during a pre-match presentation for Spain's World Cup winners Unai Simon, Nico Williams, Aymeric Laporte, and Luis de la Fuente. The match swung against the hosts within the opening quarter of an hour during Edin Terzic's home debut as Athletic Bilbao manager. In the 11th minute, referee Cesar Soto Grado showed a straight red card to Athletic left-back Yuri Berchiche for bringing down Miguel Sierra after a defensive miscommunication between Simon and Aitor Paredes.
Four minutes later, Sevilla capitalised on their numerical advantage. High pressing by Scottish forward Robbie Ure pressured the Athletic back line, resulting in an errant pass from Simon under physical pressure. The ball spilled to Sevilla winger Oso, who converted into an empty net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute. Athletic players and supporters protested for a foul on Simon during the sequence. Following the red card, Alex Berenguer dropped back from his attacking role to cover the left flank. Despite playing with ten men, Athletic mounted attacks through midfielders Benat Gerenabarrena and Peio Canales, both making their first starts after spending the previous season on loan in the second tier. Canales saw a 29th-minute volley deflected wide by a defender. Before halftime, Inaki Williams sent a shot straight at Odysseas Vlachodimos after combining with Berenguer and Oihan Sancet, while Simon stopped an effort from Sevilla defender Juan Iglesias.
Second-half burst from Sevilla
Sevilla manager Luis Garcia Plaza introduced three substitutes at halftime, bringing on Chidera Ejuke, Isaac Romero, and Nico Guillen for Sierra, Gerard Fernandez, and Jon Guridi. The tactical adjustments yielded immediate returns. In the 50th minute, Romero delivered a pass to Ejuke, who lifted the ball over Simon to make it 2-0. Seven minutes later, Oso assisted Romero in the 57th minute after a defensive mistake by Jesus Areso, extending the lead to 3-0.
- Yuri Berchiche receives a direct red card for a foul on Miguel Sierra
- Oso scores into an empty net to give Sevilla a 1-0 lead
- Chidera Ejuke scores from an Isaac Romero pass to double Sevilla's lead
- Isaac Romero scores Sevilla's third goal from an assist by Oso
- Aitor Paredes scores for Athletic Bilbao from a Yeray Alvarez delivery
Athletic pulled a goal back in the 70th minute when Paredes converted a pass from Yeray Alvarez to make the score 1-3. Terzic made triple substitutions in the 58th minute, introducing Nico Williams, Laporte, and Maroan Sannadi, followed by Hugo Rincon in the 74th minute and Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta in the 83rd minute. However, the Basque club created no further goals against Sevilla's defence. Soto Grado distributed yellow cards to Guruzeta and Ruiz de Galarreta for Athletic, as well as Fernandez, Sierra, Guridi, Romero, and Guillen for Sevilla.
Squad constraints and standings
The victory gave Sevilla six points from their opening two La Liga fixtures, placing them at the top of the table after an opening-round win against Rayo Vallecano. The performance arrived despite Garcia Plaza travelling to Bilbao with 16 registered first-team players due to club financial restrictions managed by sporting director Jose Ignacio Navarro. Sevilla gave a debut to summer signing Julio Diaz in the 78th minute, while midfielder Giorgi Kochorashvili remained an unused substitute. Athletic Bilbao remain on zero points after two rounds of the season.
