Atletico Madrid edged out Athletic Bilbao 2-1 at San Mames thanks to second-half goals from Angel Correa and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco.
Los Rojiblancos were fortunate not to find themselves behind at the interval as Aritz Aduriz had a penalty saved by Jan Oblak.
Correa opened the scoring 55 minutes in following some fine interplay between Antoine Griezmann and Koke, before Carrasco came off the bench to tuck home a second, rendering Raul Garcia's late strike a mere consolation.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the La Liga meeting between Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid at San Mames. The Basque outfit boast a pretty formidable home record, going eight games without defeat here and losing just twice on their own patch in the whole of 2016-17, while Atleti have not lost on their travels in the Spanish top flight since last December.
Much like last season, simply finishing within touching distance of the beasts that are Real Madrid and Barcelona will be a tough task in itself for Atletico, but in Diego Simeone they have a man capable of pulling off what can seem like the impossible mission. The Rojiblancos are beginning an exciting new era after moving into a new 68,000-capacity ground, but tonight they are back on the road as they head to the Basque region.
ATLETICO MADRID TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Oblak; Gimenez, Savic, Godin, Filipe Luis; Gaitan, Saul, Thomas, Koke; Correa, Griezmann
SUBS: Moya, Lucas, Juanfran, Carrasco, Gabi, Torres, Gameiro
Starting with a look at the visiting team's starting lineup, Simeone has decided to rest Juanfran and Gabi from the off this evening, both of whom are on the bench. Jose Gimenez and Nicolas Gaitan are used in tandem down the right-hand side in a brave call from the Atleti boss, while on the opposite flank Filipe and Koke will link up in what is essentially a 4-4-2 formation once again.
Yannick Carrasco was brought on at half time in the narrow win over Malaga at the weekend and was tipped to start this one, but that is not the case as the Belgium international is only among the subs. With Gaitan on the right and Koke towards the left, Saul Niguez - reportedly wanted by Barcelona along with Antonio Griezmann in the past, according to fresh reports from Spain - will partner Thomas Partey in central midfield.
Simeone was able to welcome Griezmann back to his his at Malaga and the Frenchman was always going to start this one, once again linking up with Angel Correa in the forward line. Griezmann scored the historic first goal at Wanda Metropolitano at the weekend, while at the same time opening his account for the campaign after being shown red on the opening matchday. Further back, Stefan Savic is given the nod to partner Diego Godin in the heart of defence.
ATHLETIC BILBAO TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Arrizabalaga, Martinez, Nunez, Laporte, Balenziaga, San Jose, Iturraspe, Susaeta, Garcia, Muniain, Aduriz
SUBS: Herrerin, Boveda, Benat, Williams, Etxeita, Vesga, Cordoba
In terms of the home side, boss Jose Angel Ziganda - now a few months into the job - has gone with a likely 4-2-3-1 formation, spearheaded by Aritz Aduriz. The 11-cap Spain international has already netted a couple of goals this term to maintain his reputation as one of the most prolific scorers in the division, with support being offered by Iker Muniain, Markel Susaeta and Raul Garcia in a three-man attacking midfield.
Aduriz and Muniain were both rested from the off for the defeat to Las Palmas last time out, so they should be raring to go, but Benat Etxebarria is among the subs once again tonight. Unai Nenez was tipped to replace Xabier Etxeita at centre-back, which does indeed prove to be the case, and alongside him is the impressive Aymeric Laporte. Mikel Balenziaga starts at left-back, meanwhile, with Lekue out on the right.
Lekue was given the nod due to Oscar de Marcos's ongoing injury struggles. This is a Bilbao squad with plenty of quality, with the likes of Inaki Williams - linked with a move away from San Mames during the summer transfer window - and the aforementioned Benat both among the back-up options. Goals have been at a premium for the hosts so far this season, but in Aduriz they do at least boast a player who knows exactly where the back of the net is.
Diego Simeone has opted to rest Juanfran and Gabi for this evening's contest in the Basque Country, ahead of what is a big week for the Rojiblancos at home and in Europe. No surprise to see Antonio Griezmann retain his place up top after a stop-start feel to his season, pairing up with Angel Correa up top as he aims to build on his maiden goal of the campaign against Malaga last time out - the first to be scored at Wanda Metropolitano.
Bilbao are under the management of Jose Angel Ziganda these days following his promotion from the reserve side, where he had been in place since 2011. Los Leones lost Ernesto Valverde to Barcelona in the summer, of course, but rather than looking elsewhere for a new man to take over, they instead decided to turn to one of their own so to speak. Ziganda made a bright start to life in the San Mames hot seat, too, only tasting defeat for the first time last weekend.
Les Leones lost 1-0 away to Las Palmas in that maiden defeat of the Ziganda era, going down to a late Loic Remy goal. Athletic had earlier kicked off their league season with a goalless draw against Getafe here, before picking up successive wins over Eibar and Girona. The defeat in Gran Canaria was also the first time that they have conceded this season, having kept clean sheets in three-successive games at the start of the term.
That puts Bilbao alongside Sevilla in terms of the best defensive sides in the division, albeit having played a game fewer than Barcelona who have also been pretty solid at the back so far. Aduriz has netted twice so far, as touched upon a little earlier, but others now need to start chipping in with goals as Les Leones have averaged less than a goal a game across their opening four league matches under Ziganda.
All this leaves them seventh in the La Liga standings - exactly where they finished at the end of last season when Valverde was at the helm - and the target now will be to break into those top six spots. Bilbao received a backdoor route into European football this term; a chance they took with both hands after coming through a couple of qualifying rounds to once again reach the group stage of the competition.
Two-legged wins over Dinamo Bucharest and Panathinaikos helped Bilbao through to the Europa League proper, and they kicked off their group-stage campaign with a respectable 0-0 draw away at Hertha Berlin last week. Ziganda's men now face trip to Malaga and Valencia in the league before the next international break, as well as taking on Zorya here in the Europa. A fairly gruelling fixture list, then, but that tends to be the case when competing in multiple competitions.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Atletico Madrid have won eight of their last 10 meeting against Athletic Bilbao in all competitions, including a 3-1 win when they last faced off at the Vicente Calderon in May. They played out a 2-2 draw here nine months ago, meanwhile, with Antonio Griezmann netting in the 80th minute to rescue his side a draw. It has been four years since Les Leones last beat Atleti in a home fixture.
This is an exciting period for visitors Atletico, as they began life in their new state-of-the-art Wanda Metropolitano home at the weekend with a 1-0 win over Malaga. Leaving the Vicente Calderon was always going to be tough, of course, and many believe that the Rojiblancos will lose a good 10 points over the course of the season now that they have left their fortress.
Upgrading to a 68,000-capacity stadium is key if Atletico are to continue rivalling Real Madrid and Barcelona, however, and they will be hoping to bring in Diego Costa in January to further bolster their attacking ranks. For now it is a case of staying in touch with the big boys at this early stage in proceedings, as they attempt to match their success of three years ago when incredibly coming out on top in the Spanish top flight.
Simeone, who recently extended his contract in Madrid until 2020, has also guided Atleti to a couple of Champions League finals - beaten by rivals Real Madrid in both - as well as lifting the Copa del Rey and Supercopa. Finishing as the best of the rest is an achievement in itself for the 2014 champions, as they are up against a Real side considered among the greatest of all time and a Barca side that still remains a force despite some serious upheaval during the summer months.
Atletico Madrid moved out of their famous Vicente Calderon home at the end of last season and marked the start of a new era in winning style last time out. The 1-0 win over Malaga, courtesy of an Antoine Griezmann strike, ensured that supporters were given reason to cheer in their first outing at the impressive new stadium, which was today announced as the venue for the 2019 Champions League final.
Atletico finished 15 points behind champions Real and 10 behind Barcelona last time out. It was a good effort from Simeone's men to finish above the chasing pack in the race for third, but they Argentine will be desperate to add some more silverware to the collection this term. As ever, the Champions League remains a priority for Simeone, meaning that he will already have one eye on the visit of Chelsea in a week's time.
Simeone's charges have started the 2017-18 season with a mixed set of results, battling to a 2-2 draw with 10 men against newly-promoted Girona on the opening weekend, while also being held away to Valencia, but they have also beaten Las Palmas and Malaga - two wins and two draws. Those results leave Atleti sixth in the table, one point and one place above their opponents heading into these midweek matches in Spain.
Barcelona, with a perfect record of five wins from five, are already seven points better off at the summit. Closing that gap slightly will be a priority for Simeone, who has seen his side draw two of their three away matches this term to extend their record to 14 matches without loss on their travels in La Liga. That is a run that stretches back to last December when going down 3-0 to Villarreal prior to the winter break.
Since that loss to Villarreal nine months ago, Atletico have lost just two of their 27 league matches. They really are one of the toughest sides to beat on the continent, often doing what is required to grind out the three points. A point was all they brought back from Rome in their opening Champions League game of the campaign last week, but even that can be considered a decent enough result in the context of things.
Atletico now have that meeting with Chelsea in a week's time to look forward to - a huge fixture that could well determine which of the sides finishes top in what is a tough group - fresh on the back of welcoming Sevilla to their new home. It really is a massive week for Simeone & Co - one that could determine the mood around Wanda Metropolitano as we head into the second two-week break of the club season.
DID YOU KNOW? There have been over 2.5 goals in seven of the last eight meeting between these two sides in the Basque Country, but Athletic Bilbao have scored below that figure in six of their last seven matches in La Liga. Les Leones have bot lost on home soil in any of their last eight games, meanwhile, winning seven of those since a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in March.
With kickoff at San Mames now a little over five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Jose Angel Ziganda: "I have no reason to not be optimistic regarding Kepa's renewal. It's not that I want to fool myself but, as long as I can, but I prefer to think positively rather than negatively. I see him calm and very well."
Diego Simeone: "Having a deeper squad has improved the level of competition within the team. Lucas, Thomas, Gaitan, Vietto – they have all raised their game. We have always thought that having more competition would give us the possibility to choose the players which are best suited to each game."
Ziganda was asked in the build-up to this match to comment on reports linking goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga with a move to Real Madrid. Reports in the Spanish press suggest that he could move to the Bernabeu as a free agent next summer, and the Bilbao boss concedes that he has "no reason to be optimistic" that his first-choice stopper will commit by signing a new contract at San Mames.
Simeone believes that he now has a squad more capable of competing on multiple fronts, meanwhile, with added quality to the squad meaning that certain regulars have had to up their game to maintain their place in the side. The Atletico manager has rotated slightly once again this evening, knowing that tough games against Sevilla and Chelsea in La Liga and the Champions League respectively are on the horizon.
KICKOFF! Athletic Bilbao get us up and running at San Mames in what is arguably the pick of these midweek ties in the Spanish top flight. Visiting side Atletico Madrid are sporting their third kit for the first time this season.
Bright start made by the visitors, as a teasing ball into the box from Griezmann just about evaded Correa near the front post. The France international is still finding his feet following the red card on the opening day at Girona.
Atleti rather bossing possession at the moment, slowly attempting to work the ball forward into the final third. The ball has come into the box just once so far through a Greizmann cross, which Correa could not quite get on the end of.
Athletic's turn to work the ball forward into the box, but it is easily swept up by the visitors. A reminder of the team news - Los Rojiblancos made three alterations to their starting lineup; their opponents a whopping five from last time out.
SAVE! The first shot of the evening comes via Inigo Lekue, who came in from the flank to send an effort pretty much right down the middle for Jan Oblak to collect. It will take a lot more than that to beat the impressive Slovenian stopper!
CHANCE! A rarity at San Mames as Mikel San Jose gets himself into the box with the ball at his feet, but he rather comically fails to make contact with the ball when looking to get a shot away eight yards from the target.
Athletic the side looking the brighter so far, but Atleti have also had their moments. Correa turns brilliantly on the edge of the box and gets a shot away, which was always curling high and wide. Kepa Arrizabalaga with little to do so far.
A poor pass is pounced on by Susaeta, who was then wiped out by the man guilty of giving the ball away in Correa. The free kick from deep is lofted into the box, where Godin is waiting to whack it clear after a couple of deflections.
Muniain drifts into the box but for some reason refuses to pull the trigger. San Jose did likewise earlier and it cost him, much in the same way as his teammate who rather ran out of ground and could not find a new shooting angle.
No question that the home side have edged the opening 19 minutes of the contest, testing Oblak once and seeing far more of the ball in dangerous positions. It remains all square at this point, though, and Atleti do appear to have now stepped things up.
Nearly a quarter of the match now played and it remains Athletic who are just about on top. Griezmann almost had a chance a few moments ago but he could not quite bring the ball under control to get a shot away from 12 yards out.
SAVE! Good effort from Raul Garcia, adjusting his body and swinging a boot at the ball to send a volley on target. Jan Oblak reacted quickly to get down and collect the ball, making his second stop of the evening in the Basque Country.
Oblak plays a goal-kick short to Filipe Luis in an attempt to get Atletico back in the passing groove, but the full-back is closed down a second or so later by Athletic's forward line. Not really happening for the Rojiblancos so far at San Mames.
YELLOW CARD! Thomas Partey is the first player to be shown a yellow card this evening, following a swipe at Iker Muniain in middle of the park. The midfielder could not get to the ball and was rightly cautioned for halting the attack.
SAVE! This will technically go down as a save from Oblak - his third in the opening half an hour - as Aduriz got the slightest of touches on Unai Nunez's knockdown to divert the ball on target. Again, a straightforward stop to make.
SAVE! Balenziaga barged Griezmann off the ball to give away a free kick 25 yards from goal. A nice angle for Griezmann to work with, but his attempt deflected off the wall and was collected by young keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Still awaiting the breakthrough goal at San Mames, where Athletic Bilbao have just about had the better of things. Not really done enough to warrant a lead just yet, but Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak has been the busier of the two keepers.
Muniain and Raul Garcia so nearly combined on the edge of the opposition box, only to be hounded out of possession. Godin and Savic certainly having to put in a shift in the heart of defence in the opening 35 minutes of this contest.
OFF THE POST! So, so close to a breakthrough goal at San Mames. Unai Nunez was unable to bring Laporte's pass under control and Gaitan took it off him to charge through. The angle was against the winger but he managed to get a shot away, which came back off the post. Griezmann unable to convert from the rebound.
SAVE! All of a sudden it is Atletico who will argue that they deserve to be ahead in this match. That Gaitan shot was certainly the closest we have come to a goal, and Griezmann has just had a near-post shot kept out by Kepa.
PENALTY SAVED! Oblak is the penalty-saving hero yet again, getting across to his right to keep out Aritz Aduriz. It was a controversial moment, as Filipe Luis caught the toe of Raul Garcia right on the line of the 18-yard box. Replays suggest that the Atletico full-back got a touch on the ball first - not that it matters now!
That really was a stunning stop from Oblak to deny Aduriz, keeping intact his reputation of being one of the finest in the industry when it comes to keeping out pens. A fascinating first half at San Mames, with two minutes still left to play.
SAVE! The whistle goes for an infringement inside the box, denying Griezmann what would have been one of the goals of the season with his overhead-kick attempt. From the next move, Filipe Luis is spotted by Griezmann when getting forward and tests Kepa with a decent shot.
HALF TIME: ATHLETIC BILBAO 0-0 ATLETICO MADRID
The referee blows his whistle to bring an entertaining opening 45 minutes to a close. Both keepers have pulled off some decent stops; none more so than Jan Oblak's 41st-minute save to deny Aritz Aduriz from the penalty spot - the closest we have come to a breakthrough goal at San Mames.
Both goalkeepers were in inspired form in a lively first half, with Kepa Arrizabalaga - strongly linked with a free transfer to Real Madrid - doing well to keep out a deflected free kick from Antoine Griezmann. Prior to that it was Jan Oblak who was regularly being called into action, as Inigo Lekue cut inside to send a shot down the middle and Raul Garcia swung his boot at a volley that ended down the middle.
Aritz Aduriz nearly got on the end of Unai Nunez's knockdown, but he could only get the slightest of touches to the ball, while Mikel San Jose comically miscued when trying his luck from inside the box. Atletico were having to do plenty of defending but they came within inches of opening the scoring 37 minutes in after Nicolas Gaitan pounced on Nunez's error, charging through on goal but picking out the post from a slight angle.
Kepa had to keep out a near-post attempt from Griezmann a couple of minutes later to keep the scores level, though it was Athletic who had more reason to be upset about the goalless nature of the first half. After the referee pointed to the spot for Filipe Luis's challenge on Raul Garcia on the 18-yard line, Aduriz stepped up to take the penalty but saw his effort kept out by set-piece specialist Oblak.
A chance also came and went for Filipe Luis right at the end of the first half, getting on the end of a Griezmann pass and putting his boot through the ball to call Kepa into action once again. Despite all the action in front of goal we remain goalless at the midway point, meaning that we could see a change at the interval.
ATHLETIC BILBAO SUBS: Herrerin, Boveda, Benat, Williams, Etxeita, Vesga, Cordoba
ATLETICO MADRID SUBS: Moya, Lucas, Juanfran, Carrasco, Gabi, Torres, Gameiro
RESTART! Atletico Madrid, in their changes third strip this evening, get us up and running at San Mames. Los Rojiblancos remain on course for a third clean sheet in succession, but three points is what they really want.
Atletico looking to find their passing groove in the early stages of the second half. Gimenez does well to get forward but cannot find a teammate inside the box, with the attack eventually ending through a long-range Saul drive over the bar.
SAVE! Really good passage of play from the visitors, but San Jose got across to deny Correa a clean run through on goal. Los Rojiblancos are definitely on top now, as Griezmann finds space for a shot that ends down Kepa's throat.
Susaeta charges into the box but Partey did really well to get back and deny his direct opponent a shot on goal. Home fans now urging their side on, with 2014 La Liga champions Atletico the team looking the brighter since the restart.
Simeone has a few options on the bench should it remain goalless come the hour mark, including Yannick Carrasco who helped change the match against Malaga when coming on at half time last time out. Torres and Gameiro are other options.
GOAL! ATHLETIC BILBAO 0-1 ATLETICO MADRID (ANGEL CORREA)
A brilliant opening goal, which has been coming on the basis of the opening 10 minutes of the second half. Koke and Griezmann exchanged passes, allowing the former to square the ball for Correa to tap home his third goal of the season from close range.
ATHLETIC BILBAO SUB! Inaki Williams, perhaps unfortunate not to start tonight, is brought on for Mikel Susaeta as Bilbao attempt to hit back. That really was an impressive team goal from Atleti to make the breakthrough.
The hosts appeal for a penalty after San Jose and Savic collided inside the box but, unlike with the earlier penalty decision, the officials appear to have got this one right. Bilbao do at least win a corner which is easily dealt with.
ATLETICO MADRID SUB! Gaitan makes way shortly after the hour, having been handed a rare start tonight. Carrasco, who made a big difference against Malaga when brought off the bench last time out, is on in his place.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Home fans desperately urging their players on now following a slow start to the second half. Atletico have been well on top and perhaps should have had a second, only for Griezmann to - wrongly, in my opinion - be flagged for offside.
SAVE! Complete domination now from Atletico's point of view. Griezmann is sent crashing inside the box by Lekue and looked like he should have had a penalty; play goes on and the Frenchman is then denied by another impressive Kepa stop.
CLOSE! Raul Garcia creeps in to get a headed attempt on goal, which would have been ruled out even had it found its way past Oblak as he was narrowly offside. A real frantic feel to this match, as has been the case all evening really as Correa is denied at the other end.
CHANCE! Just spotted that Benat was brought on for Iturraspe a little earlier, meaning that Ziganda has now made two changes, while Griezmann has made one. A real chance for Raul Garcia, who volleyed over the bar from a glorious position.
ATLETICO MADRID SUB! A slightly surprising change made by Griezmann, who brings on Gabi for Correa. The Rojiblancos have looked impressive in the second half so the same shape will presumably remain, with Carrasco providing support.
GOAL! ATHLETIC BILBAO 0-2 ATLETICO MADRID (YANNICK CARRASCO)
A composed finish from Yannick Ferreira Carrasco gives Atletico a second goal, which surely equals all three points. Griezmann lifted the ball over the Athletic defence with a simple pass, allowing Carrasco to get in behind and finish off the post.
Simeone's decision to push Carrasco into a number nine position paid dividends almost immediately. Atletico are good value for that second goal as they have been well on top in the second half, following a fairly even opening 45 minutes.
SAVE! Another stop for Kepa to add to his collection, as he again keeps out Griezmann. Filipe Luis has picked up an injury and is unable to continue, being replaced by Lucas for the closing stages. Cordoba replaces Aduriz for the hosts.
Less than 10 minutes to go now at San Mames and there is no real sign of Bilbao getting themselves back in the game. They had one big chance at 1-0, which former Atleti man Raul Garcia failed to take, and since then the visitors have added a second.
The hosts have now made all three changes, with the subbing of Aduriz essentially Ziganda's way of waving the white flag. Athletic just have not been able to match their opponents in the second half, rightly finding themselves a couple of goals down.
SAVE! Oblak with a couple of stops to make late on in the match, the first of which was pretty decent to keep out Muniain. A goal for the home side now will change the complexion of things massively heading into this final few minutes.
Three minutes plus stoppage time to play at San Mames, where Atletico are sitting comfortably on a two-goal lead. They have not looked like adding to their advantage over the past six or seven minutes, while Athletic have come close on one occasion.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Bilbao thought they had one back after scrambling the ball over the line, but the offside flag was quickly raised. Had that gone in we would have had a game on our hands, but Atleti are back to cruising now.
GOAL! ATHLETIC BILBAO 1-2 ATLETICO MADRID (RAUL GARCIA)
Now then! Raul Garcia finally finds a way through following five minutes of bombardment on the visiting side's goal. A cross from the left was crying out to be helped home, and the former Atleti man did exactly that from seven yards out.
FULL TIME: ATHLETIC BILBAO 1-2 ATLETICO MADRID
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at San Mames. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while updates from the evening kickoff in La Liga between Real Madrid and Real Betis can be viewed here. Thanks for joining!
