Done deal. Three points confirmed. Athletic Club 2-1 Elche, full time at San Mamés.
Athletic Club defeated Elche CF 2-1 in LaLiga Matchday 25, played on the night of February 20, 2026, at San Mamés, Bilbao. Kick-off was at 21:00 CET.
Gorka Guruzeta opened the scoring in the 64th minute, finishing at the near post from a Yuri Berchiche cross. André Silva levelled for Elche from the penalty spot in the 69th minute, after Íñigo Lekue fouled Germán Valera inside the area. Guruzeta then converted a second penalty in the 89th minute to win it for Athletic — after VAR confirmed Pedro Bigas had fouled Aymeric Laporte in the box.
Athletic Club sit 9th in LaLiga with 34 points. Elche drop deeper into trouble, sitting 16th with 25 points from 25 games.
The first half belonged entirely to Athletic. They pressed high, they won the ball back fast, they created chances. But they couldn’t score.
Guruzeta fired over when unmarked inside the area. His volley from distance forced Matías Dituro into the game’s first serious save. Oihan Sancet tested Dituro from close range. Alejandro Rego hit the post with a long-range strike. Inaki Williams forced another superb stop from the Elche goalkeeper just before the break.
The half-time score read 0-0. Athletic had 8 shots on goal. Elche had 0.
The second half told a different story. Elche regrouped. They stayed compact. They frustrated the hosts.
Then came the 64th minute. Íñigo Ruiz de Galarreta found Yuri Berchiche overlapping on the left. Berchiche hammered a low cross into the six-yard box. Guruzeta was there to tap in. A deserved lead. A goal Athletic had been building toward for 64 minutes.
Five minutes later, it was gone.
Lekue challenged Valera rashly inside the area. The referee pointed to the spot. André Silva stepped up — and the drama began.
This is the moment the San Mamés faithful will not forget quickly.
André Silva struck the penalty and beat Unai Simón. The goal stood — briefly. The referee then ruled the kick out, determining that Silva had used a double touch on the ball when he struck it.
Under the rules of the game, a double touch on a penalty does not result in a re-take. It results in an indirect free-kick from where the second touch occurred. The correct ruling would have punished Elche.
Instead, the referee awarded a re-take. Silva converted the second attempt bottom corner, cool as you like and Athletic’s lead had vanished. Elche were level at 1-1.
Confirmed: The re-take decision was incorrect under Law 14. Africentra understands the referee’s decision sparked immediate protests from the Athletic bench. VAR did not intervene to overturn the re-take ruling.
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Athletic threw everything at Elche in the final ten minutes. They pushed bodies forward. Eder García came on as a debutant. Robert Navarro replaced Sancet. Athletic were hunting.
The breakthrough came in the 88th minute or rather, the events that produced it did.
Laporte challenged Pedro Bigas inside the Elche box. Bigas dived and clipped Laporte in the face as he failed to clear the ball. Laporte went down. Bigas received a yellow card. The referee consulted VAR. Penalty confirmed.
Guruzeta stepped up in the 89th minute. He didn’t hesitate. Bottom right corner. 2-1 Athletic Club.
It was his 13th goal of the season in all competitions. His composure under pressure on a night of referee errors and crowd tension was the difference.
Athletic held on through eight minutes of added time. The final whistle brought scenes of relief more than celebration inside San Mamés.
What the Numbers Say
| Stat | Athletic Club | Elche |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 45.8% | 54.2% |
| Shots on Target | 8 | 2 |
| Total Shot Attempts | 18 | 2 |
| Corner Kicks | 4 | 1 |
| Saves | 1 | 6 |
| Yellow Cards | 3 | 3 |
| Attendance | 46,654 | — |
The numbers tell one story clearly. Athletic dominated possession in attack, controlled the dangerous areas, and forced six saves from Dituro. Elche’s goalkeeper was the best player on the pitch for the losing side. Without him, the scoreline would have looked very different long before the 89th minute.
Elche managed just 2 shots on target all game. They did not deserve a point.
This is Athletic Club’s third LaLiga win in their last five matches. They now sit 9th in the table, with 34 points from 25 games.
More importantly: the gap to the top six is just one point. A European place potentially a UEFA Europa League or Conference League berth is within reach for Valverde’s side.
Athletic have momentum. They have Guruzeta in form. They have a defence, led by Laporte, that concedes very little when it’s switched on.
The limitation is clear though: they created 18 attempts and still needed a 89th-minute penalty to win. Their conversion rate remains a concern. If Dituro hadn’t been so sharp in the first half, this game was already over at half-time. But it wasn’t, and Athletic made life harder for themselves.
Elche sit 16th, inside the relegation playoff zone by just one place. They haven’t won an away league game in 11 consecutive attempts. Their overall winless run in LaLiga now stretches to eight matches.
Eder Sarabia’s side showed defensive resilience in the second half that much is fair to acknowledge. Their shape improved after the break. But 2 total shots on target across 90 minutes tells you everything about their attacking limitations.
Staying up on performances like this one is not possible. Elche need goals. They need a striker who creates his own chances. André Silva is capable, but he can’t do it alone.
What’s still unconfirmed: whether Sarabia’s position as head coach is under fresh pressure following this result, and whether Elche will move in the transfer market before the window closes.
hree players with African connections featured prominently in this match and two of them were decisive.
Inaki Williams (Ghana) started for Athletic Club and was a constant threat on the left flank. His powerful run and delivery in behind set up multiple dangerous positions before he was substituted off. Williams remains one of LaLiga’s most physically imposing forwards, and his application of pressure in the first half directly contributed to Athletic’s territorial dominance.
André Silva (Portugal, born to Guinean heritage) was Elche’s standout performer. He converted the controversial penalty and gave Elche hope at 1-1. His composure in front of goal on the re-take in a hostile, noise-filled stadium was exceptional. On a team that created almost nothing, Silva remains their most reliable finishing threat.
Buba Sangaré (Guinea-Bissau) came on as a substitute for Elche in the second half and played a role in the closing stages as Elche sought to hold on. He was booked in the final minutes for a foul. It was a difficult cameo on a difficult evening.
For African football fans, the performances of Williams and Silva in particular were worth watching. Both showed exactly why they are playing at this level. Neither is close to giving it up.
Athletic Club host Real Sociedad in the Basque derby in Matchday 26 one of the most intense fixtures in Spanish football. A win there, combined with results elsewhere, could push them into the top six. Confirmed date: TBC.
Elche travel to Celta Vigo next. Given their form on the road 11 consecutive away league games without a win that fixture looks difficult. Confirmed date: TBC. Africentra will update as fixtures are confirmed.
Athletic Club got the three points. They needed a controversial final minute to secure them, after an incorrect re-take decision let Elche back into a game they had no business drawing.
Guruzeta’s cold-blooded finishing twice from the spot, once in open play makes him Athletic’s most important attacking player right now. His 13-goal season is not getting enough attention. It should be.
Elche fought harder than their first half suggested. But they can’t keep relying on their goalkeeper and penalty decisions to stay in games. The results are catching up with them.
Three points for Athletic Club. Confirmed. Official. Done.
