Athletic Bilbao Matches Unwanted Defensive Record After 3-1 Loss to Sevilla in La Liga Opener

A Difficult Start at San Mamés for Athletic Bilbao

Athletic Bilbao faced a tough beginning to their La Liga season after falling 3-1 to Sevilla at home. The match quickly turned against them when defender Yuri Berchiche received a straight red card just 11 minutes in, forcing the team to play nearly the entire game with ten men. This early disadvantage made it hard for Edin Terzic's squad to fend off Sevilla’s persistent attacks.

Defensive Weaknesses Surface Again

This loss means Athletic Bilbao have matched an unwanted defensive record from last season. Last year, they conceded three goals at home only once—during a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid. That defensive strength seems to have vanished as Sevilla scored three times against goalkeeper Unai Simón, with goals from Oso, Chidera Ejuke, and Isaac Romero.

Errors played a big role in this result: Aitor Paredes’ mistake, a lapse by Simón that allowed the opener, and a backheel error by Jesus Areso that led to the third goal all added up to a costly defensive collapse. Terzic now faces the challenge of rebuilding the solid defense that earned Simón the Zamora Trophy in 2023-24 and helped concede the fewest goals in 2024-25.

Ongoing Defensive Concerns

The opening day defeat highlights the defensive problems that troubled Athletic Bilbao during the 2025-26 season, where they let in 58 goals—the fifth worst in La Liga. Even though Paredes managed to score a consolation goal in the second half, the damage was already done.

Terzic must act fast to fix these weaknesses if the Basque club wants to return to the resilience that once made San Mamés a fortress.

Upcoming Challenge Against Barcelona

Relief won’t come easily for Athletic Bilbao, as their next game is a tough trip to face Barcelona on Thursday. Barcelona enters the match with high confidence after a commanding 5-0 win over Elche in their opener. Their attack, featuring players like Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, and Dani Olmo, averaged 2.5 goals per game last season.

Given Athletic only kept a few clean sheets last season, Terzic’s depleted side faces a huge test to stop their early-season slide.

• La Liga Fixtures:
• Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao: August 27, 2026, 21:00
• Athletic Bilbao vs Sevilla: August 29, 2026, 21:30
• Atletico Madrid vs: (Date not specified)