Athletic Bilbao draws 1-1 with Elche in La Liga match

Athletic Bilbao needed a late lifeline, and Alex Berenguer delivered one. The forward struck in the 82nd minute to cancel out Franco Buonanotte’s second-half penalty and salvage a 1-1 draw against Elche at the Estadio San Mamés on September 12, 2026.

For Athletic, a team sitting in 10th place with six points heading into matchweek 5, the result feels like two points dropped. For Elche, clinging to 19th place with just a single point from five matches, a draw at one of Spain’s most intimidating grounds is something closer to a minor triumph.

A tale of two halves at San Mamés

The first half at San Mamés was a largely uneventful affair, with Athletic controlling possession but failing to convert their territorial advantage into anything meaningful. A crowd of roughly 47,287 watched the home side probe without penetrating Elche’s low defensive block, and the teams went into the break at 0-0.

The second half started with a jolt. Around the 50th minute, Elche were awarded a penalty, and Buonanotte stepped up to convert it coolly.

That changed in the 82nd minute when Iñaki Williams threaded an assist to Berenguer. The forward made no mistake, lashing the ball home to level the contest.

Their hopes of a late winner were boosted when Elche were reduced to 10 men in the closing stages. The match had been littered with yellow cards throughout, but Athletic, despite the numerical advantage, couldn’t find a second goal before the final whistle.

Individual performances worth noting

Buonanotte’s penalty was composed and clinical, delivered in the hostile environment of San Mamés.

Williams’s assist for Berenguer’s equalizer in the 82nd minute was the product of a player who refuses to let a match drift away.

The collective defensive performance from Elche deserves recognition as well. Holding Athletic at bay for over 80 minutes at their home ground, in front of nearly 47,287 fans, and even after going down to 10 men, they managed to hold on for the point.

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