Alejandro Catena's 90th-minute leveller earns Osasuna a 1-1 draw against Athletic Club

For 83 minutes, El Sadar looked set for its fourth 0-0 of the season. Then Nico Williams finally broke the deadlock for Athletic Club, cutting inside from the left and finishing low, and for a moment the visitors looked set to take all three points home to Bilbao. Osasuna had other ideas: six minutes later, with the clock showing 90, Alejandro Catena rose at the back post to drag the scoreline level and send the home end into a relief as loud as any win.

Athletic Club had the better of the chances for long spells without quite finding the finish, and when Nico Williams did provide it the lead lasted barely five minutes. Catena's goal was his side's only real moment of quality in front of goal all afternoon, but it came at exactly the moment it was worth most.

Match facts

• 84' — Nico Williams (Athletic Club)
• 90' — Alejandro Catena (Osasuna)

Line-ups

Osasuna lined up in a 4-3-3: Aitor Fernández in goal, Alejandro Catena, Enzo Boyomo, Abel Bretones and Valentín Rosier across the back, Lucas Torró, Moi Gómez and Jon Moncayola in midfield, and Ante Budimir leading the line between Raúl Moro and Rubén García. Asier Osambela, Enrique Barja, Raúl García, Iker Muñoz and Jonathan Dubasin were sent on. Athletic Club set up in a 4-2-3-1 behind Unai Simón, with Aymeric Laporte, Dani Vivian, Yuri Berchiche and Hugo Rincón in defence, Robert Navarro and Beñat Gerenabarrena screening, and Peio Canales, Iñaki Williams and Álex Berenguer supporting Nico Williams. Yeray, Johaneko Louis Jean, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, Beñat Prados and Oihan Sancet came off the bench.

Osasuna climb out of the bottom two

Osasuna went into the match on the back of a rough run in the archive — D L W L L across their last five, six goals scored and ten conceded, with three of those four defeats coming by at least two goals. Catena's goal stops that slide at a draw rather than a sixth loss in seven, and the point takes Osasuna to 12 from 12 games, enough to move them above Espanyol, who they trailed on the table coming in, and up to 14th — clear, for now, of the drop zone they had been hovering just above.

Athletic Club stay seventh, within touching distance of Europe

Athletic Club's own recent form had been trending up before this — D D L W W in the archive, including routs of Getafe and Real Sociedad either side of a defeat at Levante — and a losing position snatched away in stoppage time will sting more than a straightforward draw would have. Still, the point takes Bilbao to 16 points from 11 games, still 7th, two points shy of Sevilla and the Conference League play-off place in sixth.

What's next

Osasuna host Málaga at El Sadar on Sunday 22 November, La Liga's matchday 13 — a game between two sides who have just given themselves breathing room near the bottom. Athletic Club stay at San Mamés the same day to face Espanyol, looking to turn a missed two points here into three at home.