Nico Williams and Brothers Shine in Athletic Bilbao's 3-0 Victory
Nico Williams lit up San Mames and ripped through Atletico Madrid’s resistance in a blistering spell that powered Athletic Bilbao to a 3-0 win and a second straight La Liga victory.
On a night when the Williams brothers ran the show and Diego Simeone’s side were torn apart in the space of a minute, the roar from the Cathedral felt like a statement.
Williams brothers ignite San Mames
The breakthrough came from family instinct. Early in the second half, Inaki Williams let fly from the edge of the area. The shot was redirected into the box, and Nico reacted first, darting into space and guiding a header home to open the scoring.
San Mames erupted. Nico had not scored in the league since May, when he struck twice against Alaves. The drought ended with a goal that felt loaded with more than just numbers: timing, confidence, authority.
Atletico barely had time to reset.
Seconds later, Athletic pounced again. A rapid counter-attack, Nico and Inaki charging into open grass, Atletico backpedalling. The brothers combined sharply, slicing through the visitors’ shape before squaring for Robert Navarro, who finished to make it 2-0. One minute, two goals, Simeone’s plan shredded.
From there, the match tilted decisively. Atletico chased shadows; Athletic smelled blood.
Terzic’s touch and a decisive switch
Oihan Sancet added a late third to cap the night, but the groundwork had been laid long before the final blow. Edin Terzic’s fingerprints were all over this performance.
Nico Williams made that point himself after the final whistle, his praise direct and unfiltered.
“The manager we have is spectacular, and you can see it on the pitch,” he said. “He’s instilled many new things in us that we’re grasping perfectly.”
The turning point, in his eyes, came at the break.
“In the second half, he really got us into the game with a great talk in the locker room,” Nico added. “We’re very happy with the manager’s style of play.”
Terzic’s in-game management backed up those words. Athletic adjusted smartly as Atletico tried to wrest control, shifting to a back three in the second half to smother Simeone’s tactical tweaks and protect their lead without losing their edge on the counter.
There had been a warning early on when Kang-In Lee struck the post, a reminder that this was still elite opposition. Terzic highlighted how his players responded to that moment, not how they were shaken by it.
“I see a team that’s always ready to fight for victory,” the German coach said. “For me, the most important thing has been how we reacted... we showed real courage.”
He also saluted the San Mames crowd, whose intensity mirrored the team’s aggression and helped turn a difficult fixture into a statement result.
Momentum builds, eyes on Elche
Back-to-back league wins now give Athletic something they have long chased: rhythm. The 3-0 dismantling of Atletico arrives on the back of a strong away victory, and inside the dressing room the mood has shifted from hope to belief.
Nico underlined how these three points felt especially sweet after that recent success on the road, framing this run as proof that Terzic’s ideas are taking root and that the squad trusts his long-term vision.
Terzic, though, refused to dwell on the occasion. There was no lap of honour in his words, only a quick pivot to what comes next. He stressed that the focus now snaps straight to Saturday’s league clash with Elche CF, an opportunity to turn a promising surge into something more durable.
Athletic have the momentum. The question is whether this ruthless night against Atletico becomes just a highlight – or the launchpad for a season that finally matches the noise of San Mames.
