Nico Williams Shines in Athletic Bilbao's 3-0 Victory Over Atletico Madrid
Nico Williams lit up San Mames and tore into Atletico Madrid’s aura of control, driving Athletic Bilbao to a statement 3-0 win that felt bigger than three points.
This wasn’t just a victory. It was a one-minute demolition of Diego Simeone’s side that flipped the match, the atmosphere, and perhaps a little of Athletic’s own self-belief.
Williams brothers ignite San Mames
The game had simmered through a tense first half, Atletico threatening early when Kang-In Lee clipped the post and briefly silenced the stadium. That scare jolted Athletic, not into panic, but into focus.
After the break, the response was ruthless.
Nico Williams struck first. Inaki Williams fired in a shot, the ball broke loose in the area, and Nico reacted fastest, rising to nod it home and send San Mames into eruption. It was his first league goal since May, when he hit a brace against Alaves, and it arrived with the conviction of a player who had been waiting too long.
Atletico barely had time to regroup.
Seconds later, the Williams brothers ripped them open again on the counter. Nico surged forward, Inaki joined him, and between them they carved through the visitors’ disorganised shape before slipping in Robert Navarro, who finished to make it 2-0. One minute, two goals, and Simeone’s game plan lay in pieces.
Oihan Sancet added a late third to cap the night, a strike that underlined the gulf that had opened up once Athletic found their rhythm and their nerve.
Terzic’s stamp on a fearless Athletic
For Nico, the turning point didn’t just come on the pitch. It started in the dressing room.
He pointed straight at head coach Edin Terzic after the final whistle, crediting the German for reshaping both the team’s structure and its mentality.
“The manager we have is spectacular, and you can see it on the pitch,” Nico said. “He’s instilled many new things in us that we’re grasping perfectly.”
The winger highlighted the half-time interval as decisive.
“In the second half, he really got us into the game with a great talk in the locker room,” he added. “We’re very happy with the manager’s style of play.”
Terzic’s influence showed in the way Athletic adapted. Faced with Atletico’s adjustments, he switched his side into a back three after the break, tightening their defensive line while freeing his wide players to attack space with greater aggression. The tweak blunted Atletico’s threat and opened channels for the Williams brothers to exploit.
Terzic, for his part, sounded as satisfied with the attitude as with the tactics.
“I see a team that’s always ready to fight for victory,” he said. “For me, the most important thing has been how we reacted... we showed real courage.”
He also saluted the San Mames crowd, whose noise swelled after that early warning from Kang-In Lee and grew into a wave that carried Athletic through the second half.
Momentum, belief, and the road ahead
The result secures back-to-back league wins for Athletic Bilbao and injects real momentum into their season. Coming on the heels of a valuable away triumph, this was the kind of home performance that can anchor a campaign.
Nico admitted the three points felt especially sweet in that context, a confirmation that Terzic’s ideas are taking root and that the squad believes in his long-term vision.
The message from the coach, though, was clear: enjoy it briefly, then move on. Terzic stressed that attention now turns immediately to Saturday’s league encounter against Elche CF, a different kind of test for a team suddenly playing with swagger.
Beat Atletico 3-0 at San Mames, and expectations change. The question now is whether this version of Athletic can turn a thrilling night into a sustained charge up the table.
