BILBAO, SPAIN — In the dying embers of a tense and fiery evening at San Mamés, Gorka Guruzeta stepped up to convert a 89th-minute penalty and hand Athletic Club a hard-fought 2-1 LaLiga victory over Elche. The hosts had dominated for long stretches, launching 18 shots at goal to their visitors' two, yet found themselves level heading into the final minutes before VAR intervened to hand them a lifeline — and Guruzeta made no mistake.
The first half was a cagey affair, with Elche content to sit deep and absorb Athletic Club's pressure while holding 54.4% of possession. The home side created the better openings but found Elche goalkeeper Matías Dituro in inspired form. As early as the 15th minute, Guruzeta tested Dituro with a right-footed effort from the centre of the box, only to be denied. Iñaki Williams also went close in the 37th minute, latching onto a through ball from Yuri Berchiche before Dituro again stood firm. Elche threatened briefly on the stroke of half-time when Lucas Cepeda unleashed a left-footed drive from outside the box that Unai Simón pushed away at full stretch to the top centre of his goal, one of the few moments the visitors genuinely threatened.
The second half burst into life in a frantic ten-minute spell that transformed the match entirely. Athletic Club continued to press relentlessly, and Oihan Sancet twice went close — first in the 59th minute when his right-footed shot from the centre of the box was palmed away by Dituro, and again in the 66th minute when a left-footed effort, assisted by Dani Vivian, was saved in the centre of the goal. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 64th minute when Yuri Berchiche delivered a precise cross from the left and Guruzeta was on hand to poke home from close range into the bottom left corner, giving Athletic Club the lead their pressure deserved.
The celebrations barely had time to settle before Elche struck back with a stunning response. In the 67th minute, Íñigo Lekue was adjudged to have fouled Germán Valera in the penalty area and was shown a yellow card for his troubles. André Silva stepped up in the 69th minute and coolly dispatched the spot-kick to the bottom right corner, restoring parity and sending the away end into raptures. The equaliser sparked a frantic final quarter, with both sides pushing for a winner as the referee kept busy — six yellow cards were brandished across the ninety minutes in what became a feisty, combustible encounter.
Athletic Club's persistence was ultimately rewarded in dramatic fashion. In the 85th minute, Aymeric Laporte was brought down in the penalty area by Pedro Bigas, who received a yellow card for the challenge. After a VAR review confirmed the decision in the 87th minute, Guruzeta stepped up once more and drilled his penalty to the bottom right corner in the 89th minute, sending San Mamés into delirium and securing three crucial points.
The statistics told a compelling story of Athletic Club's dominance throughout the evening. The hosts registered 18 shots to Elche's 2, with 8 on target compared to just 2 for the visitors. That Elche remained level for so long was a testament to Dituro's extraordinary performance between the sticks — the Argentine goalkeeper made six saves in total, a heroic individual display that ultimately could not prevent defeat. His reflexes and positioning kept his side in the contest despite relentless pressure from the home side. Athletic Club's Unai Simón, by contrast, was called into action just once all evening, underlining the one-sided nature of the contest despite the scoreline suggesting otherwise.
Elche's possession share was something of a statistical illusion — the visitors were largely content to recycle the ball in their own half rather than threaten, and their two shots on target reflected a side focused primarily on damage limitation and survival. The 18 fouls committed by Athletic Club underscored their aggressive, high-energy approach throughout the ninety minutes, while the six cards shared equally between both sides added to the combustible atmosphere inside San Mamés. The intensity never wavered, with both teams competing fiercely for every loose ball and challenging decision.
The victory lifts Athletic Club to 8th place in LaLiga with 34 points, strengthening their position in the upper half of the table. Elche remain in 16th on 25 points, still uncomfortably close to the drop zone and facing mounting pressure as the season reaches its critical phase. Athletic Club will carry this momentum into their trip to Rayo Vallecano on February 28, while Elche must quickly regroup and host Espanyol on March 1 in a fixture that carries significant implications for both sides near the foot of the table.