Defensive Howlers Mar Athletic Bilbao's Season Opener, Sevilla Capitalize

Athletic Bilbao suffered a somewhat surprising 3-1 home defeat to Sevilla in their opening match of the new season. The La Liga fixture was marred by a series of defensive blunders from the "Lions," ultimately leading to their downfall.

Just 11 minutes in, the Basque side was reduced to ten men after Yuri Berchiche received a red card for fouling an opponent breaking clear. A mere four minutes later, goalkeeper Unai Simon made a fatal error in his penalty area, allowing Oso to punish him for the opening goal. In the 50th minute, Ejuke doubled Sevilla's lead, and in the 57th, following another misjudgment – this time from Jesus Areso – Isaac Romero made it 3-0 for Sevilla. Aitor Paredes (70’) pulled one goal back, but it was too little, too late.

The Bilbao team is only just starting their campaign because their first-round match against Barcelona a week prior was postponed until August 27th due to numerous international players from both teams participating late into the World Cup this summer.

Before the match, the home side's World Cup winners – Nico Williams, Aymeric Laporte, and Unai Simon – symbolically displayed a replica of the trophy and received congratulations for their success. However, only the goalkeeper started against Sevilla, while the outfield players came on as substitutes during the game.

For Sevilla, this marks their second victory, having started their season with a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano. In the next round, the team will host Atlético Madrid.