Match ends, Athletic Club 1, Barcelona 0.
Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Barcelona: Aritz Aduriz hits spectacular winner
- From the section European Football
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 £107m 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.
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 £65m signing from Ajax but were disjointed for long spells and managed just two shots on target.
Line-ups
Ath Bilbao
- 1Simón
- 21Capa
- 3NúñezBooked at 65mins
- 5Álvarez
- 17Berchiche Izeta
- 8LópezSubstituted forEtxebarriaat 81'minutes
- 14García Carrillo
- 18De MarcosSubstituted forSancetat 66'minutes
- 22García
- 10Muniain
- 9WilliamsSubstituted forAdurizat 88'minutes
Substitutes
- 7Etxebarria
- 12Larrazabal
- 13Herrerín
- 20Aduriz
- 24Balenziaga
- 29Vivian
- 34Sancet
Barcelona
- 1ter Stegen
- 2Nélson Semedo
- 3PiquéBooked at 60mins
- 15Lenglet
- 18Alba
- 20RobertoSubstituted forPérezat 76'minutes
- 21de Jong
- 19AleñáSubstituted forRakiticat 45'minutes
- 11Dembélé
- 9SuárezSubstituted forRafinhaat 37'minutes
- 17Griezmann
Substitutes
- 4Rakitic
- 5Busquets
- 12Rafinha
- 23Umtiti
- 24Firpo
- 26Peña
- 27Pérez
- 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
Full Time
Second Half ends, Athletic Club 1, Barcelona 0.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Unai Simón.
Attempt saved. Clément Lenglet (Barcelona) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Rafinha.
Rafinha (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Iker Muniain (Athletic Club).
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.
Substitution
Substitution, Athletic Club. Aritz Aduriz replaces Iñaki Williams.
Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Dani García (Athletic Club).
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.
Foul by Nélson Semedo (Barcelona).
Yuri (Athletic Club) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Yeray Álvarez.
Attempt blocked. Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jordi Alba.
Ousmane Dembélé (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Dani García (Athletic Club).
Foul by Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona).
Raúl García (Athletic Club) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution
Substitution, Athletic Club. Beñat Etxebarria replaces Unai López.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Núñez.
Attempt blocked. Rafinha (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jordi Alba.
Substitution
Substitution, Barcelona. Carles Pérez replaces Sergi Roberto.
Foul by Sergi Roberto (Barcelona).
Yeray Álvarez (Athletic Club) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Ousmane Dembélé (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Unai López (Athletic Club).
Attempt missed. Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Antoine Griezmann.
Rafinha (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Yeray Álvarez (Athletic Club).
Foul by Nélson Semedo (Barcelona).
Iker Muniain (Athletic Club) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Substitution
Substitution, Athletic Club. Oihan Sancet replaces Óscar De Marcos.
Booking
Núñez (Athletic Club) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Núñez (Athletic Club).
Attempt missed. Yuri (Athletic Club) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left from a direct free kick.
Booking
Gerard Piqué (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Gerard Piqué (Barcelona).
