Villarreal Secure Victory Over Athletic Club to Create Four-Point Buffer in Battle for Third Place

Athletic winger Nico Williams, identified as a significant threat ahead of the match, made his first start in more than two months following his recovery from injury.

However, it was Villarreal who started stronger, with goalkeeper Unai Simon required to make a fantastic save to deny Pape Gueye’s shot from distance in the 11th minute, tipping it over the bar.

After 26 minutes, Simon was finally beaten when Villarreal launched a counter-attack. Tani Oluwaseyi delivered a cross for left-back Sergi Cardona, who delicately lobbed the ball over Simon, marking his first goal since August 2024.

Villarreal’s record of not losing after taking the lead in LaLiga this season (W16, D3) created a favourable atmosphere, though the hosts responded effectively, with Yuri Berchiche and Mikel Jauregizar sending shots just off target from the edge of the area.

The Lions were caught off guard in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time when Alfon Gonzalez intercepted the ball from Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta, sprinted clear and slotted past Simon to net his first goal since joining on loan from Sevilla in January.

Athletic made a determined start to the second half in search of an equaliser, with Simon again required to deny Tajon Buchanan from a tight angle.

Despite mounting pressure from the hosts, they failed to make Luiz Junior work hard, with Gonzalez missing a good chance soon after the hour mark, firing wide from 15 yards.

Ernesto Valverde’s side nearly faced embarrassment when Georges Mikautadze attempted a long-range strike from halfway that bounced just over the bar, but they managed to revive their hopes six minutes before time as top scorer Gorka Guruzeta found the net from close range, marking his 14th goal of the season across all competitions.

Nicolas Pepe thought he had restored Villarreal’s two-goal lead late on, but VAR intervened to disallow his strike due to an offside in the buildup.

Athletic failed to take advantage of their good fortune, missing the opportunity to close the four-point gap to seventh place, while they extended their run of 15 games in LaLiga without a clean sheet.

On the other hand, third-placed Villarreal is enjoying a more optimistic outlook, all but securing a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League, despite this being just their second win in the last eight LaLiga away fixtures (D2, L4).