Bilbao: Athletic Bilbao inflicted the first defeat on Atletico Madrid in the Spanish La Liga, beating them 3-0 in their match on Saturday evening at San Mam©s Stadium, as part of the fourth round of the competition. The Basque team achieved their second consecutive victory, after defeating Celta Vigo 2-0 in the previous round, raising their points tally to 6 and moving up to seventh place, while Atletico Madrid’s points remained at 7 in fifth place.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Atletico Madrid dominated the first half, but failed to convert their superiority into goals, before suffering a heavy blow at the start of the second half, conceding two goals in two minutes. The first goal came in the 46th minute through Neco Williams, following a quick attack that ended with a shot that shook the Atletico net, before winger Robert Navarro doubled the home side’s lead in the 48th minute in the same manner, taking advantage of confusion in the visitors’ defense.

Argentine striker Juli¡n lvarez came on as a substitute an hour into the game, attempting to rescue Atl©tico Madrid from their predicament, amidst boos from his own fans. lvarez had a chance to reduce the deficit, but Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Sim³n made a save to deny his dangerous shot in the 71st minute.

The home side weren’t content with their two goals, however, and continued their attacking pressure. Oihan Sancet scored the third goal in the dying moments, igniting the San Mam©s stadium and confirming his team’s 3-0 victory. The loss is a significant blow for Atl©tico Madrid, who had hoped to continue accumulating points and temporarily top the league table, while the win provided a morale boost for Athletic Bilbao, allowing them to continue their resurgence and recover from their poor start to the season after losing their first two matches.