Athletic Bilbao Matched Sevilla’s Negative Defensive Record in la Liga

The Basque team fell 3-1 at San Mamés against Sevilla, repeating a worrying defensive record

A difficult debut at San Mamés

Athletic Bilbao started the 2026/27 season with a 3-1 defeat against Sevilla at their own stadium. The game took a turn for the worse very early on, with Yuri Berchiche being sent off in the 11th minute, leaving the Basques with ten players for more than 80 minutes. Despite their efforts, the team couldn't hold on and ended up paying dearly for their defensive mistakes. Aitor Paredes scored the only home goal, but his goal came too late to change the course of the match

Individual errors and negative record

The goals by Sevilla were built on individual mistakes by Paredes, goalkeeper Unai Simón, and Jesús Areso. This defensive fragility led Athletic to match a negative record, conceding three goals at home, just as happened last season in the 3-0 defeat against Real Madrid. The data is concerning because it reflects a clear trend, the defensive block, which until recently was one of the most solid in La Liga, has become a weak point.

From solidity to setback

The contrast is striking; in the 2025/26 season, Athletic conceded 58 goals, the fifth worst record in the championship. However, just two years earlier, Unai Simón had won the Zamora Trophy (2023/24) and the club had been the least scored against in the league in 2024/25. The decline is evident and raises doubts about the team's ability to regain its identity. The comparison with Sevilla, which also went through defensive ups and downs, underscores the magnitude of the problem. For the Bilbao fans, the concern is double; not only did they lose in the debut, but a pattern is repeating that threatens to condition the entire season. The defense, once the pride of the club, has become its Achilles' heel.