Athletic Turn 38% Possession Into a 3-0 vs Atlético

Athletic Club needed only three second-half minutes to flip a territorial mismatch at San Mamés. Atlético Madrid held 62% of the ball and 14 shots. Athletic finished 3-0 from 1.12 expected goals, two big chances and 10 shots. Nico Williams scored on 46 minutes. Robert Navarro added a second two minutes later, assisted by Iñaki Williams.

Key Numbers

Final score: Athletic 3-0 Atlético (0-0 at half-time). xG 1.12-0.84. Possession 38%-62%. Shots 10-14, on target 3-4, big chances 2-0, corners 3-7. Pass completion 81% (286/353) versus 90% (517/577). Yellow cards 0-1 (Lee Kang-In, 39').

Atlético created more attempts and far more completed passes. They created zero big chances. Athletic converted both of theirs after the interval and never needed the ball to keep the scoreboard moving.

Tactical Reading

Ernesto Terzić set Athletic in a 4-2-3-1. Diego Simeone answered with a 4-4-2. The visitors' midfield of Barrios, Hjulmand, Llorente and Baena fed Lookman and Giuliano Simeone, but the chance quality never arrived. Seven corners and 577 pass attempts produced 0.84 xG and four shots on target.

Athletic changed the picture at the break. Paredes replaced Álvarez at half-time. Nico Williams scored immediately. Navarro then finished from Iñaki Williams. Simeone emptied the bench around the hour after the game had already left his shape.

The data split is clean. Atlético owned circulation. Athletic owned the only two high-quality openings and finished both. A 0.28 xG edge plus two big chances to none is why 38% possession still produced a three-goal home win.

Standout Performers

Nico Williams scored the opener on 46 minutes. Robert Navarro scored the second, with Iñaki Williams on the assist. Unai Simón was not seriously tested given Atlético's four shots on target and zero big chances.

For Atlético, Jan Oblak faced three shots on target and conceded three goals. Lee Kang-In's booking was the visitors' only caution. Lookman and Giuliano Simeone were both withdrawn before the hour.

What It Means

After four LaLiga games Athletic sit seventh on six points (6 scored, 5 conceded). Atlético are sixth on seven points (7 scored, 6 conceded) and listed in the Conference League qualification band. The table still looks tight. The San Mamés tape does not.

Simeone's side can pass teams off the pitch and still lose if big chances stay at zero. Terzić's Athletic sat in a 4-2-3-1, waited for the first transition after half-time, and cashed two clear openings. That is the tactical story of Round 4 at San Mamés.