Atletico Madrid staged a spirited comeback to defeat Athletic Club 3-2 at home, ending a poor run with just their second win in nine matches across all competitions.
The result also dealt another blow to Ernesto Valverde’s side, whose European ambitions continue to fade after a sixth defeat in eight La Liga outings.
The visitors made a sharp start and nearly struck inside three minutes when Gorka Guruzeta latched onto a long ball, but goalkeeper Jan Oblak stood firm to deny him from a tight angle.
Chances were scarce early on, with the first real breakthrough arriving midway through the opening half. Dani Vivian powered home a header from Íñigo Ruiz de Galarreta’s corner to give Athletic the lead.
Atleti struggled to find rhythm before the break, their only notable chance seeing Alexander Sørloth head tamely at Unai Simón from Giuliano Simeone’s delivery. The home crowd voiced their frustration as the hosts went into half-time trailing.
The mood shifted quickly after the restart. Just four minutes into the second half, Antoine Griezmann reacted quickest to a loose ball in the box to level the score after a deflected cross caused chaos.
Momentum swung fully in Atleti’s favour soon after, as Sørloth combined brilliantly with Alex Baena before calmly finishing to complete the turnaround.
Sørloth nearly doubled his tally moments later but narrowly missed the target, and Athletic responded with a brief spell of pressure.
Guruzeta and Oihan Sancet both came close, while Vivian threatened again from a set piece, but Atleti held firm.
As the game entered its closing stages, the visitors ran out of ideas, with speculative efforts failing to test Oblak.
Deep into stoppage time, Sørloth raced clear from the halfway line to slot home a third and secure the victory, ensuring Atleti avoided a fifth straight league defeat — something they have not suffered since 1942.
Athletic grabbed a late consolation through Guruzeta, but it proved too little too late.
The result leaves the Basque side still three points off the top six, missing the chance to complete a first league double over Atleti in over two decades.
