Athletic Club vs Qarabağ: Guruzeta brace powers 3–1 comeback at San Mamés

Bassyonni

ago 15 hours

Athletic Club vs Qarabağ

Athletic Club turned an early shock into a statement Champions League win on Wednesday night, beating Qarabağ 3–1 in Bilbao. After conceding inside the first minute, the Lions steadied, leaned on the roar of San Mamés, and rode Gorka Guruzeta’s brace plus a fine finish from Ruben Navarro to flip the match before the hour and close it out late. The result breathes life into Athletic’s league-phase push and hands Qarabağ their first setback of the campaign.

Match timeline (UK & North America times)

Kickoff: 5:45 p.m. BST / 12:45 p.m. ET
0’ — Qarabağ 1–0: Leandro Andrade darts in and scores with the first real action.
40’ — 1–1: Guruzeta levels, turning home after persistent pressure.
70’ — 2–1: Ruben Navarro arrives from the bench and curls in the go-ahead strike.
88’ — 3–1: Guruzeta seals it, finishing a late transition to complete his brace.
Full time: 3–1 to Athletic Club.

Note: Listed in BST and ET, per standard broadcast conventions.

Why Athletic Club vs Qarabağ mattered tonight

Coming in, Qarabağ’s structure and counterpunching had made them one of the league-phase surprises. Going behind so early could have rattled Athletic, but the hosts leaned into their identity—high regains, width from the fullbacks, and relentless second-ball pressure. Once parity arrived before halftime, the tide turned: Athletic pinned Qarabağ deep, forced hurried clearances, and found cleaner touches at the top of the box. The victory not only steadies Athletic’s table position; it also resets the tone after a difficult away day earlier in the phase.

Head-to-head snapshot

This was a rare European meeting between the clubs. Qarabağ had never visited San Mamés in a competitive tie before this league-phase season. On the night, the contrast of styles—Athletic’s vertical surges and Qarabağ’s compact 4-5-1—produced an intense, tactical match that swung decisively once the hosts cracked the block.

Confirmed lineups and key changes

Athletic Club (4-5-1): Unai Simón; Andoni Gorosabel (Jesús Areso 65’), Aitor Paredes, Aymeric Laporte, Yuri Berchiche; Oihan Sancet (Mikel Vesga 81’), Mikel Jauregizar, Aitor Rego (Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta 65’); Iñaki Williams (Álex Berenguer 38’), Nico Williams (Ruben Navarro 65’); Gorka Guruzeta.
Manager: Ernesto Valverde.

Qarabağ (4-5-1): Marcin Kochalski; Matheus Silva (Dani Bolt 79’), Bahlul Mustafazade, Kevin Medina, Elvin Cafarquliyev; Pedro Bicalho (Marko Jankovic 56’), Kady, Namiq Akhundzade (Toran Bayramov 67’), Abdellah Zoubir (c), Cristian Duran (Oleksiy Kashchuk 67’); Leandro Andrade (Emmanuel Addai 56’).
Manager: Gurban Gurbanov.

Subs who swung it: Navarro’s introduction gave Athletic a fresh runner between lines and the game-winning strike; Berenguer’s early entry after an injury reshuffle added dribble threat on the left. Qarabağ’s changes aimed for pace on the break, but sustained territory never materialized after 1–1.

Tactical takeaways

Athletic’s rest defense held firm. With both fullbacks advancing, the double screen behind the ball prevented Qarabağ’s first pass out from becoming 3-on-3 counters after the equalizer.
Second-ball supremacy. The hosts won more of the loose scraps around the D, which kept Qarabağ penned in and created repeat chances.
Wide isolations paid off. Athletic repeatedly targeted the channels outside Qarabağ’s fullbacks; crosses and cut-backs created the chaos that led to goals two and three.

Standout performers

Gorka Guruzeta (Athletic): Two goals, sharp movement on the shoulder, and calm finishing when it mattered.
Ruben Navarro (Athletic): Instant impact off the bench with the decisive 2–1 strike and clever pocket runs.
Leandro Andrade (Qarabağ): Early dagger set the tone; continued to threaten on rare breakouts.

What this means in the league phase

Three points at home keep Athletic firmly in the mix for the playoff slots, with head-to-head margin now on their side against a direct rival. Qarabağ remain competitive—organized, dangerous on the counter—but the lesson from San Mamés is clear: once forced to defend wave after wave, their block can bend late.

Bottom line: Down inside a minute, Athletic Club didn’t blink. A leveled first half, a decisive bench spark, and Guruzeta’s late insurance delivered a fully earned 3–1 that could define their group trajectory heading into the back half of the league phase.