Athletic Club's derby win was built on a shape change and Nico Williams working the left side. At San Mamés, Athletic moved from a 4-4-2 base into a 1-3-4-3 attack, and that gave Real Sociedad a far harder problem to solve. The opening goal came in the 14th minute when Nico set up Iñaki Williams, and Athletic Club carried that edge through a derby that also turned on a first-half penalty.
Athletic's left-side threat
Nico was the main outlet once Athletic pushed higher. He finished with one assist and two key passes, and his movement from the left kept Real Sociedad stretched whenever Athletic won the ball and moved quickly into attack.
The derby's opening goal came from that pattern. Nico supplied the ball for Iñaki's finish in the 14th minute, and the two brothers gave Athletic a lead that matched the team's best phase of the match.
The penalty and the final swing
Athletic's second goal arrived in first-half stoppage time, when Alex Berenguer scored from the spot to make it 2-1. That penalty also fed the controversy around the game, and Terzic later said: "Today I have the feeling that we have been favoured," in comments translated from Spanish to Relevo.
The wider point still sits with Athletic's attacking structure. Nico's 7.02 rating backed up how much he shaped the game, while Robert Navarro also helped the fluency with four key passes after coming on in the sixth minute and playing 83 minutes. Athletic's 2-1 derby win at Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad came from that blend of shape, left-sided threat and one decisive penalty.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
