Athletic Bilbao
Gorka Iraizoz – 6: Was unlucky to be on the losing side with his saves preventing a bigger deficit. Had no chance to save either goal.
Eneko Bóveda 6: Controlled Carrasco all night and afforded little opportunity for Atléti to threaten from the wing.
Xabier Etxeita – 6: Alongside Laporte, the centre-back contained Atléti well with the home side relying on long range shots to beat Iraizoz. Should have done more to put pressure on Griezmann in the lead-up to the winning goal.
Aymeric Laporte – 6: Scored the important opening goal, finding space at the back post to smash the ball in the back of the net. Dealt with Vietto, Griezmann and then Torres well.
Balenziaga – 5: Not a bad performance by the left-back but far from an impressive one. Limited crosses from the wing from the home side.
Ander Iturraspe – 5.5: Protected his defence well.
Beñat – 5.5: Tried his best to create chances from deep with one through ball for Aduriz requiring a save from Oblak. Had an effort saved from Oblak following a long range shot.
Óscar De Marcos – 5.5: Delivered in an exceptional through ball that found Aduriz whose shot was saved by Oblak. Was a constant threat on the wing.
Raúl García – 5.5: The former Atléti man did not have the best game on his return with no significant impact on the game.
Iñaki Williams – 5.5: The young Spaniard tried hard to open space on the left side but was well marshaled by Juanfran.
Aduriz – 6: The veteran striker could not find the back of the net even with the amount of chances provided for him with Oblak continuously denying the Spaniard. A night the striker will regret to have not scored.
Substitutes
Mikel Rico – 5.5: Replaced Iturraspe in midfield to bring creativity into his side. Was unable to provide much chances for Aduriz or García, however.
Markel Susaeta – N/A: Came on for the remaining 20 minutes but had no impact.
Kike Sola – N/A: Late replacement for Williams.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
