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20h ago

Athletic Bilbao Edge Sevilla as Atletico Fall to Espanyol on LaLiga Opening Weekend

Bilbao’s opener underscored the club’s evolving identity with a landmark captaincy change.

Soccer Football - LaLiga - Espanyol v Atletico Madrid - RCDE Stadium, Cornella de Llobregat, Spain - August 17, 2025 Espanyol's Pere Milla scores their second goal past Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak REUTERS/Bruna Casas
Soccer Football - LaLiga - Espanyol v Atletico Madrid - RCDE Stadium, Cornella de Llobregat, Spain - August 17, 2025 Espanyol's Pere Milla celebrates scoring their second goal with Omar El Hilali, Tyrhys Dolan and Edu Exposito REUTERS/Bruna Casas
Soccer Football - LaLiga - Espanyol v Atletico Madrid - RCDE Stadium, Cornella de Llobregat, Spain - August 17, 2025 Espanyol's Miguel Rubio celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Bruna Casas
Soccer Football - LaLiga - Espanyol v Atletico Madrid - RCDE Stadium, Cornella de Llobregat, Spain - August 17, 2025 Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez celebrates scoring their first goal with David Hancko and Thiago Almada REUTERS/Bruna Casas

Overview

  • Athletic Bilbao came from behind to beat Sevilla 3-2, with Robert Navarro scoring the decisive goal in the 81st minute after Sevilla had twice drawn level.
  • Nico Williams converted a 36th-minute penalty, turning down transfer speculation and reaffirming his commitment to his boyhood club.
  • Iñaki Williams became Athletic’s main captain for the first time, marking the first occasion a Black player has held the position in club history.
  • Atletico Madrid suffered a 2-1 defeat at Espanyol despite a free-kick opener by Julián Álvarez, highlighting integration challenges for their summer recruits.
  • Barcelona opened their title defense with a 3-0 win at Mallorca and Getafe claimed a 2-0 victory over Celta Vigo despite financial fair-play registration limits.