Spanish La Liga
Ath BilbaoAthletic Bilbao1BarcelonaBarcelona0

Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Barcelona: Aritz Aduriz hits spectacular winner

Aritz Aduriz
Aduriz is in his final season of a 20-year La Liga career

A sublime winner by 38-year-old striker Aritz Aduriz handed Athletic Bilbao victory over champions Barcelona on the opening day of the La Liga season.

Lacklustre Barca were punished when substitute Aduriz found the net with a stunning 89th-minute scissor-kick.

"Sometimes football is so beautiful and when you least expect it a ball like that comes to your feet and goes into the net," he said.

Luis Suarez and Rafinha both hit the woodwork for Barca.

But the visitors - without the injured Lionel Messi - struggled to impress despite fielding new ÂŁ107m signing Antoine Griezmann, and Suarez was forced off with a first-half injury.

There were no such concerns for Aduriz and Athletic after the striker - who will retire at the end of the season - threw himself into the air and acrobatically volleyed past Marc-Andre ter Stegen to earn his side a first league win over Barcelona since 2013.

"It's incredible when the fans cheer for you like they did today," said Aduriz, who scored a hat-trick against Barca in a 4-0 win in the 2015 Spanish Super Cup.

"It's impossible that I won't end up missing that but everything must come to an end."

He becomes the only player, after Messi, to have scored in 15 consecutive seasons in La Liga.

Aritz Aduriz
Delighted fans salute Aduriz after his late wonder goal

Barca coach Ernesto Valverde worked with Aduriz for four seasons while at Athletic and he knew exactly where the ball was heading when it came towards the towering striker.

"When I saw him shaping to shoot I knew exactly what would happen, it's an area of the game he utterly dominates and I wasn't surprised by the strike at all," said Valverde.

"With Aduriz on the pitch any ball crossed into the area is deadly and he scored a brilliant goal."

Athletic coach Gaizka Garitano described Aduriz as "a competitive animal".

"He is the first to arrive at training and the last to leave. You might lose some sharpness with age but you never lose your hunger or your competitiveness," he added.

"It was an incredible goal. Even though he is 38 he has a unique ability at striking the ball and he has won us the game. He is a player that no matter how old he is he makes the difference."

With Messi missing with a calf injury and Philippe Coutinho not involved amid reports he is set to join Bayern Munich on loan, Barca suffered a further blow as Suarez hobbled off before half-time, also with a calf injury.

Valverde's side - chasing a third successive La Liga title - also included midfielder Frenkie de Jong, a ÂŁ65m signing from Ajax but were disjointed for long spells and managed just two shots on target.

Line-ups

Ath Bilbao

Formation 4-2-3-1

  • 1SimĂłn
  • 21Capa
  • 3NĂșñezBooked at 65mins
  • 5Álvarez
  • 17Berchiche Izeta
  • 8LĂłpezSubstituted forEtxebarriaat 81'minutes
  • 14GarcĂ­a Carrillo
  • 18De MarcosSubstituted forSancetat 66'minutes
  • 22GarcĂ­a
  • 10Muniain
  • 9WilliamsSubstituted forAdurizat 88'minutes

Substitutes

  • 7Etxebarria
  • 12Larrazabal
  • 13HerrerĂ­n
  • 20Aduriz
  • 24Balenziaga
  • 29Vivian
  • 34Sancet

Barcelona

Formation 4-3-3

  • 1ter Stegen
  • 2NĂ©lson Semedo
  • 3PiquĂ©Booked at 60mins
  • 15Lenglet
  • 18Alba
  • 20RobertoSubstituted forPĂ©rezat 76'minutes
  • 21F de Jong
  • 19AleñåSubstituted forRakiticat 45'minutes
  • 11DembĂ©lĂ©
  • 9SuĂĄrezSubstituted forRafinhaat 37'minutes
  • 17Griezmann

Substitutes

  • 4Rakitic
  • 5Busquets
  • 12Rafinha
  • 23Umtiti
  • 24Firpo
  • 26Peña
  • 27PĂ©rez
Referee:
Carlos del Cerro Grande
Attendance:
47,693

Match Stats

Home TeamAth BilbaoAway TeamBarcelona
Possession
Home28%
Away72%
Shots
Home11
Away11
Shots on Target
Home5
Away2
Corners
Home3
Away8
Fouls
Home14
Away9

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Athletic Club 1, Barcelona 0.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Athletic Club 1, Barcelona 0.

  3. Post update

    Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Unai SimĂłn.

  4. Post update

    Attempt saved. Clément Lenglet (Barcelona) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Rafinha.

  5. Post update

    Rafinha (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  6. Post update

    Foul by Iker Muniain (Athletic Club).

  7. Goal!

    Goal! Athletic Club 1, Barcelona 0. Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Club) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Ander Capa with a cross.

  8. Substitution

    Substitution, Athletic Club. Aritz Aduriz replaces Iñaki Williams.

  9. Post update

    Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  10. Post update

    Foul by Dani GarcĂ­a (Athletic Club).

  11. Post update

    Attempt missed. Yeray Álvarez (Athletic Club) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Beñat Etxebarria with a cross following a set piece situation.

  12. Post update

    Foul by NĂ©lson Semedo (Barcelona).

  13. Post update

    Yuri (Athletic Club) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  14. Post update

    Attempt missed. Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Rafinha with a cross following a corner.

  15. Post update

    Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Yeray Álvarez.

  16. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jordi Alba.

  17. Post update

    Ousmane Dembélé (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  18. Post update

    Foul by Dani GarcĂ­a (Athletic Club).

  19. Post update

    Foul by Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona).

  20. Post update

    RaĂșl GarcĂ­a (Athletic Club) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

Comments

Join the conversation

These comments are now closed.

382 comments

As It Stood

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Ath Bilbao11001013
2Alavés00000000
3Atl Madrid00000000
4Celta Vigo00000000
5Eibar00000000
6Espanyol00000000
7Getafe00000000
8Granada00000000
9Leganés00000000
10Levante00000000
11Mallorca00000000
12Osasuna00000000
13Real Betis00000000
14Real Madrid00000000
15Real Sociedad00000000
16Real Valladolid00000000
17Sevilla00000000
18Valencia00000000
19Villarreal00000000
20Barcelona100101-10
View full Spanish La Liga table

Elsewhere on the BBC