Athletic Bilbao and BATE Borisov met in their final Group H Champions League game with both sides still looking to qualify for the Europa League.

The Basque club improved after a sluggish first-half display to grab second-half goals via Mikel San Jose and Markel Susaeta and seal progression with a 2-0 win.

Here, Sports Mole looks over the 90 minutes of action at the San Mames Stadium.

Match statistics

ATHLETIC BILBAO
Shots: 28
On target: 8
Possession: 62%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 6

BATE BORISOV
Shots: 2
On target: 0
Possession: 38%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 11

Was the result fair?

Bilbao deserved the three points, but only because of their second-half performance. The first 45 minutes of this game was a complete write-off, given that Bilbao failed to do anything with the ball and BATE were simply bystanders. Athletic were much improved in the second period and they had the performances of Markel Susaeta and Ibai Gomez to thank, with the two midfielders pushing the Basques towards victory.

Athletic Bilbao's performance

The home side produced a rather tepid showing in the opening half. They appeared devoid of ideas going forward and were wasteful when they were presented with chances in front of goal. Things changed after the break and the constant threat of Gomez was particularly pleasing to watch, while Susaeta looked to boss the midfield. Bilbao turned on the pressure at just the right time to take the lead through Mikel San Jose, and Susaeta showed great composure to seal the victory in the closing stages.

BATE Borisov's performance

You've got to feel for the Belarusians, really. They hardly had a sniff tonight as Athletic held most of the ball for the entire game. They worked incredibly hard and showed great industry both in midfield and attack to press the Spaniards, but they were evidently leagues apart – even with Ernesto Valverde's men failing to move much beyond second gear.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Markel Susaeta:

It's a tough call to decide between Susaeta and Gomez, but the 26-year-midfield just about stole the show in Spain tonight. He looked sharp from the off as he sought to get his side moving with a range of both short and long passes. He also put himself about remarkably well to win the ball back from a hard-working BATE side. The playmaker had several good attempts on target and showed standout composure for his finish.

Biggest gaffe

Guillermo got into all the right positions in the contest only for his shooting to let him down. The 21-year-old striker missed a number of chances to put his side in front in, with his worst effort coming off an Andoni Iraola cross at the front post in the first half.

Referee performance

Daniele Orsato dealt with the pressure of 30,000-odd Bilbao fans well. He showed two cards in the game – both in the first half – in order to set out his standards early on. As a result, he had very little to do in the remainder of the game.

What next?

Athletic Bilbao: Bilbao will now move into the Europa League tournament, ensuring that their European aspirations haven't been totally thwarted by Champions League elimination. They will look to go far in the showpiece as they have done in previous years, but will have to recover their scoring touch if they are to cause problems in the coming months.

BATE Borisov: Despite conceding a record number of goals in the Champions League group stages, the team from Belarus will have learned a lot from their time in the tournament. They'll head back home looking to prepare for the next domestic campaign in the knowledge that they've had the chance to test themselves against some of Europe's top players.