Sevilla made Athletic Club pay for an early red card, scoring three times to run out 3-1 winners at San Mamés on Saturday. Yuri Berchiche was dismissed for a foul in the 11th minute, and while Oso broke the deadlock shortly after, Luis Garcia Plaza’s side effectively killed the game through half-time substitutes Chidera Ejuke and Iker Romero, who struck within seven minutes of each other early in the second half. Aitor Paredes pulled one back for the hosts in the 70th minute, but it was nothing more than a consolation.
Key Moments
- 11′, Yuri Berchiche is shown a straight red card for a foul, leaving Athletic Club a man down for the remaining 79 minutes.
- 15′, Oso puts Sevilla ahead, converting without a recorded assist to give the visitors an immediate advantage from the extra space the red card created.
- 50′, Chidera Ejuke, introduced at half-time, doubles the lead just five minutes into the second half, finishing a move set up by fellow substitute Iker Romero.
- 57′, Iker Romero turns provider into scorer, finishing off an assist from Oso to make it 3-0 and put the game beyond doubt.
- 70′, Aitor Paredes grabs a consolation for Athletic Club, assisted by Yeray Alvarez, but Sevilla are comfortable by this point.
Tactical Breakdown
The numbers tell a strange story. Athletic Club had 69% possession and an 83% pass accuracy rate against Sevilla’s 31% and 72%, yet the hosts registered only two shots, both from outside the box, and an xG of just 0.03. Playing a man down from the 11th minute, Athletic were forced into patient, probing build-up play that never genuinely threatened Odysseas Vlachodimos, who still made two saves to keep the scoreline manageable. Sevilla barely needed to touch the ball, sitting deep and waiting for transitions, and with an xG of 0.00 they scored three times through clinical finishing rather than sustained pressure.
The match turned decisively at half-time through Luis Garcia Plaza’s substitutions. All three of Sevilla’s changes at the break were aggressive in intent: Chidera Ejuke and Iker Romero came on and combined for the second goal within five minutes of the restart, then Romero added a third at 57 minutes. The pair had barely touched the pitch as starters and immediately dismantled a tired, depleted Athletic backline. Athletic responded with three changes of their own at the 58-minute mark, including Nico Williams and Aitor Paredes, but by then the deficit was 3-0.
For Athletic Club, Berchiche’s dismissal was the defining moment. Losing a left-back four minutes into the game in a 4-2-3-1 forces a full structural reorganization, and Edin Terzic’s side never fully adjusted. With the numerical disadvantage and a goal down by the 15th minute, the hosts were reactive for virtually the entire afternoon. Their possession statistics look impressive on paper but masked an inability to create meaningful chances, with zero shots on target across 90 minutes.
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Verdict
Sevilla move to six points from two games and sit top of La Liga, the only team with a perfect record through two rounds. For Athletic Club, a second-week red card and a 3-1 home loss leaves them winless and without a point, sitting 17th as they look to regroup before their next fixture. The margin of defeat arguably flatters Athletic given how thoroughly Sevilla controlled the game despite barely having the ball.