Iñaki Williams equalises late as Athletic Club and Elche draw 1-1

Athletic Club had 19 shots to Elche's three and still could not find a way to win. Facundo Buonanotte converted a penalty just after the hour to put the visitors ahead, and although Iñaki Williams equalised in the 79th minute, Athletic could not find the goal that their share of the game demanded, and it finished 1-1 at San Mamés.

Buonanotte's penalty, awarded after a foul in the box, went in on 50 minutes to put Elche in front against the run of play. Athletic kept pressing and kept shooting, and the equaliser eventually arrived when Iñaki Williams got on the end of a move in the 79th minute to make it 1-1. Elche, who had conceded five at home to Barcelona and lost away at Racing Santander in their previous two outings, held on for a point that will feel like a result.

Match stats

Line-ups

Athletic Club lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Unai Simón in goal, Areso, Yeray, Laporte and Berchiche across the back, Ruiz de Galarreta and Gerenabarrena in midfield, and Navarro, Sancet and Nico Williams supporting Iñaki Williams. Elche set up in a 5-3-2 with Dituro behind Sangaré, Redondo, Chust, Morente and Morcillo, Villar and Revivo in midfield either side of Buonanotte, and Niño and Valera up front.

Momentum stalls for Athletic, a point to build on for Elche

Athletic Club arrived on the back of two wins in a row, including a 3-0 demolition of Atlético Madrid the previous round, after opening the season with defeats to Sevilla and Barcelona. This draw halts that momentum, though a display with 19 shots and two-thirds of the possession is not the kind that will worry the home crowd too much — the finishing, not the performance, was the problem. Athletic move to 7 points from five matches. Elche, without a win in the league so far and having shipped five at home to Barcelona and lost at Racing Santander, move to 2 points from this draw, still inside the bottom three but with something to show for their trip to Bilbao.