Villarreal Edge Athletic Club 2–1 in Hard-Fought Clash at San Mamés

Villarreal CF claimed an impressive 2–1 away victory over Athletic Club on matchday 31 of the Primera Division, with first-half goals from Sergi Cardona and Alfonso González proving enough to withstand a late surge from the hosts.

The visitors went in front in the 26th minute. Sergi Cardona broke the deadlock for Villarreal, finishing a move set up by Tani Oluwaseyi to make it 1–0 and silence the home crowd. Athletic struggled to find a response before the interval, and Villarreal took full advantage deep into first-half stoppage time.

Primera Division FINISHED

2026-04-12 19:00

Athletic Club

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Villarreal CF

Matchday 31 REGULAR_SEASON

In the 45th minute plus five, Alfonso González doubled the lead with a well-taken effort, sending Villarreal into the break with a commanding 2–0 advantage. Pau Navarro had already gone into the book for the away side in the 19th minute, as the visitors were forced to balance aggression with control.

Athletic coach turned to his bench at half-time, introducing Andoni Gorosabel for Iñigo Lekue, and later making a triple change on 66 minutes as Alejandro Rego, Álex Berenguer and Roberto Navarro replaced Ruiz de Galarreta, Oihan Sancet and Nico Williams. Villarreal responded with changes of their own, including the introduction of Rafa Marín at the restart and Georges Mikautadze and Nicolas Pépé just before the 70-minute mark.

The hosts finally found a lifeline in the 84th minute. Gorka Guruzeta pulled a goal back for Athletic, finishing from a Yuri Berchiche assist to set up a tense finale at 2–1. Villarreal picked up further cautions for Santi Comesaña and Tajon Buchanan, while late pressure from Athletic culminated in yellow cards for Gorosabel and goalscorer Guruzeta in the closing moments.

Despite the late push, Villarreal held firm to secure the three points. Detailed data beyond goals, substitutions and bookings is not available, but the key moments underline a disciplined away performance and a spirited, if ultimately unsuccessful, Athletic Club comeback.

Match report: Athletic Club vs Villarreal CF

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Primera Division Standings

Season: 2025/26

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Form
1	FC Barcelona	34	29	1	4	89	31	58	88	W W W W W
2	Real Madrid CF	34	24	5	5	70	31	39	77	W D W D L
3	Villarreal CF	34	21	5	8	64	39	25	68	W W D W L
4	Club Atlético de Madrid	34	19	6	9	58	37	21	63	W W L L L
5	Real Betis Balompié	34	13	14	7	52	41	11	53	W D W D D
6	RC Celta de Vigo	34	12	11	11	48	44	4	47	W L L L W
7	Getafe CF	34	13	5	16	28	36	-8	44	L L W L W
8	Athletic Club	34	13	5	16	40	50	-10	44	W L W L L
9	Real Sociedad de Fútbol	34	11	10	13	52	53	-1	43	L D L D W
10	CA Osasuna	34	11	9	14	40	42	-2	42	L W L D D
11	Rayo Vallecano de Madrid	34	10	12	12	35	41	-6	42	W D W L
12	Valencia CF	34	10	9	15	37	50	-13	39	L W D L L
13	RCD Espanyol de Barcelona	34	10	9	15	37	51	-14	39	L D L L D
14	Elche CF	34	9	11	14	45	53	-8	38	L W W W
15	RCD Mallorca	34	10	8	16	42	51	-9	38	W L D W W
16	Girona FC	34	9	11	14	36	51	-15	38	L L L D W
17	Sevilla FC	34	10	7	17	41	55	-14	37	W L L W L
18	Deportivo Alavés	34	9	9	16	40	53	-13	36	L W L D D
19	Levante UD	34	8	9	17	38	55	-17	33	L D W W L
20	Real Oviedo	34	6	10	18	26	54	-28	28	L L D W W