Athletic Bilbao 0-0 Alaves: Basque derby ends in stalemate at San Mames

Athletic Bilbao 0-0 Alaves: Basque derby ends in stalemate at San Mames

Athletic Bilbao and Deportivo Alaves played out a tense 0-0 draw in the Basque derby at San Mames, with neither side able to break the deadlock in a fiercely contested LaLiga encounter. The result extends Bilbao's unbeaten run to four matches but leaves both teams with work to do in the final third.

In a match short on clear-cut chances, Athletic Bilbao had the better of the possession and territory, with Oihan Sancet and Gorka Guruzeta both going close in the first half. Alaves, well-organised under new manager Luis Garcia, looked dangerous on the counter-attack, with Miguel de la Fuente testing Unai Simon with a long-range effort on 35 minutes.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Bilbao dominating possession but finding Alaves' defence in resolute mood. Inigo Martinez had the best chance of the match on 67 minutes, but his header from a corner was brilliantly saved by Alaves goalkeeper Antonio Sivera. At the other end, Bilbao's defence, marshalled by Yeray Alvarez, dealt comfortably with Alaves' limited attacking threat.

The draw sees Athletic Bilbao remain in 7th place on 8 points, while Alaves stay in 16th on 4 points. Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde will be concerned by his side's lack of cutting edge, having scored just 5 goals in 5 matches so far this season.

It was a typical derby - lots of effort, lots of commitment, but not enough quality in the final third. We need to be more clinical if we want to challenge for the European places this season.— Ernesto Valverde, Athletic Bilbao manager, post-match press conference, San Mames, September 19, 2026

Report by Núria Salvat. Data source: OneLightScore match centre. Image: Platform library (OneLightScore).