Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal Review
Arsenal began their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at the San Mamés Stadium, winning their sixth straight game against Spanish opposition. The home team started off strongly but failed to challenge David Raya. As the first half went on, Arsenal gradually took control, and Viktor Gyökeres had two scoring opportunities. His first attempt was the only shot on target in the half, as he broke through and struck with his weaker left foot, but Unai Simón made an easy save. His second chance was a diving header from Jurriën Timber’s cross that went just wide. Despite these efforts, the Gunners were unable to score, and the match remained 0-0 at halftime.
Despite this, Arsenal kept pressing in the second half, with Gyökeres heading Declan Rice’s free-kick wide at the far post, followed by Noni Madueke making a run behind the defense and having his cross-shot saved by Simón. Then Athletic launched an attack, as Iñaki Williams forced Raya into his first save just before the 60-minute mark with a relatively weak shot.
In the end, the visitors had the attacking strength on the bench to turn the game in their favor, with two substitutes linking up for the opening goal. Leandro Trossard passed to Gabriel Martinelli, who broke through on goal and scored beneath Simón less than a minute after coming on. The same duo combined again to secure the win, as Martinelli set up Trossard, who then fired a deflected shot into the net.
It was harsh on Athletic, who have now experienced consecutive losses at home, while Arsenal extended their unbeaten streak in opening European matches to nine. They will now turn their attention to the upcoming Premier League game against Manchester City as they aim to compete on four different fronts.
