Atletico Madrid claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Athletic Club in a pulsating LaLiga clash at the Civitas Metropolitano, securing their third consecutive head-to-head win against the Basque side and, for now, the top spot in the league standings. With Real Madrid stumbling earlier in the day against Real Betis, this result underscored just how tight the race for the LaLiga summit has become, even for teams starting the weekend in third and fourth place. The match burst into life early, with both sides trading chances inside the opening 10 minutes�Robin Le Normand headed over for Atleti, while Jan Oblak was quick off his line to deny Inaki Williams at the other end. The attacking intent was relentless, but so was the defending, as Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta saw two shots blocked and Andoni Gorosabel thwarted Alexander Sorloth�s attempt at a clean header. The pace was electric as the half-hour mark neared, with Giuliano Simeone blazing down the wing only for Unai Simon to intervene and Yeray Alvarez to cut out his low cross to Antoine Griezmann. Dani Vivian then blocked a Samuel Lino strike, Sorloth headed over, and Williams fired into the side netting after a careless pass from Rodrigo De Paul. Just before the break, Vivian was again the hero, blocking a Sorloth header on the line, while Alex Berenguer was denied by Oblak at the end of a lightning Athletic counter. The second half picked up where the first left off, though clear chances were scarcer�Lino�s header, saved by Simon, was the only effort of note until Diego Simeone rolled the dice with a triple substitution in the 59th minute. Athletic responded with Berenguer firing straight at Oblak and Mikel Jauregizar curling wide, but it was Atleti substitute Julian Alvarez who made the decisive impact. Seven minutes after coming on, the Argentine latched onto a perfectly weighted pass from Marcos Llorente and slotted home with composure to break the deadlock. Athletic were left reeling and nearly leveled the score as Benat Prados and Williams both struck the woodwork in quick succession, with Prados going close again soon after. Nahuel Molina then deflected another Williams effort onto the crossbar as Atletico clung on. The final whistle confirmed a vital three points for Atleti, extending their unbeaten run across all competitions to 10 matches and propelling them above Barcelona�who face Real Sociedad next�into first place. For Athletic, the defeat ends a six-game unbeaten streak, leaving them six points adrift of the top three and ruing their missed opportunities in a game that showcased the fine margins of elite football.
