Athletic Bilbao 0–0 Alavés: How Alavés Survived Bilbao’s Pressure
Athletic Bilbao controlled large parts of this match.
They had the ball.
They moved it patiently.
They created openings.
They pushed Alavés deeper.
And they even had a penalty.
But when the final whistle arrived, the scoreboard still read:
Athletic Bilbao 0–0 Alavés.
That makes this match particularly interesting.
Because this was not simply a case of two teams cancelling each other out.
Athletic Bilbao repeatedly found positions from which they could attack, but Alavés consistently managed to eliminate the final danger.
And when Athletic finally received the clearest opportunity of the match from the penalty spot, Antonio Sivera produced the save that preserved the draw.
So why did Athletic Bilbao fail to turn their control into three points?
And how did Alavés survive such sustained pressure?
Welcome to MatchWhy, where we don't just tell you the score — we explain why.
The Opening: Athletic Bilbao Establish Control
The opening minutes immediately showed the contrasting approaches of the two teams.
Alavés began by exchanging accurate short passes and trying to control the tempo themselves.
But Athletic Bilbao quickly began taking over possession.
By the ninth minute, Athletic were already patiently circulating the ball and looking for openings.
At the 12th minute, the possession figure showed:
Athletic Bilbao 65% — Alavés 35%
That figure would become one of the defining statistics of the match.
Athletic were not simply holding the ball in harmless areas.
They were attempting to move Alavés' defensive structure from side to side.
Tactical Sketch: Athletic's Early Possession
ALAVÉS
○────○────○────○
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ │
└────┴────┴────┘
↑
Move the block
↑
○────○────○────○
ATHLETIC MIDFIELD
↙ ↓ ↘
WIDE CENTRE WIDE
Athletic's idea was straightforward:
Move the ball until a defender has to leave his position.
The problem was that Alavés were disciplined enough to close the spaces when Athletic entered dangerous areas.
Robert Navarro Tests Sivera
Athletic's first major opportunity came in the 10th minute.
Robert Navarro produced an excellent individual move and managed to get all the way through towards the goalkeeper.
He struck his shot towards the middle of the goal.
Antonio Sivera anticipated the direction correctly and made the save.
This was an early warning.
Athletic could get through.
But they still needed to beat Sivera.
And that would become a recurring theme.
Athletic's Crossing Game Meets an Alavés Defence
Athletic repeatedly attempted to use the wide areas.
Johaneko Louis-Jean delivered a dangerous cross in the 14th minute, but an Alavés defender reacted quickly to clear it.
Robert Navarro then received the ball around the edge of the penalty area.
His shot was blocked, although Athletic won a corner.
Yuri Berchiche also attempted to create danger from the left.
His crosses were repeatedly sent into the penalty area, but Alavés were alert.
Tactical Sketch: Alavés Defending Crosses
ATHLETIC WIDE PLAYER
○
│
CROSS ↓
│
┌────────────────┐
│ ○ ○ ○ │
│ ○ ○ │
│ ALAVÉS │
└────────────────┘
↑ ↑
CLEARANCES
This became one of the main defensive patterns of the game.
Athletic could reach the final third.
They could put crosses into the box.
But Alavés were usually positioned correctly to deal with them.
Yuri Berchiche Nearly Breaks the Deadlock
The 20th minute produced another significant moment.
Yuri Berchiche received the ball from distance and unleashed a powerful effort.
The shot threatened the goal but flew painfully close to the right post.
It was another example of Athletic having to look beyond the crowded penalty area.
When Alavés defended the box effectively, Athletic had to attempt shots from outside.
But those efforts were not finding the net.
Alavés Were Not Completely Passive
It would be wrong to describe this as 90 minutes of Athletic attacking against an Alavés team that never attempted to play.
Alavés had their own periods of controlled possession.
At the third minute, they exchanged short passes to control the tempo.
At the 18th minute, they again moved the ball patiently, looking for opportunities to attack quickly.
Pablo Ibanez delivered a cross in the 13th minute, forcing Unai Simon to come off his line and collect.
They also tried to use transitions when Athletic committed players forward.
Tactical Sketch: Alavés' Counterattacking Idea
ATHLETIC ATTACK
○ ○ ○ ○
↓
ALAVÉS WIN BALL
○
│
↓
QUICK PASS
↙ ↘
○ ○
RUN RUN
\ /
↓ ↓
ATTACK
The difference was that Alavés had less sustained possession.
Athletic were generally the team controlling the rhythm.
Athletic Keep Searching for the Opening
By the 26th minute, Athletic continued exchanging short passes.
They won corners.
They delivered crosses.
They attempted shots around the edge of the box.
At the 32nd minute, Johaneko Louis-Jean received the ball in a promising position and sent his effort just over the bar.
Then, in the 34th minute, Inaki Williams delivered a cross that was comfortably gathered by Sivera.
The pattern was becoming obvious.
Athletic could get into attacking positions.
Alavés could repeatedly survive the final action.
Mikel Jauregizar Forces Another Save
In the 39th minute, Athletic created another promising opportunity.
Mikel Jauregizar received an accurate pass into the box and immediately attempted a low shot.
Sivera was ready.
The Alavés goalkeeper made the save.
This was becoming more than just good defending.
Sivera was directly influencing the outcome.
Tactical Sketch: Sivera's Role
ATHLETIC ATTACK
↓
○───────○
↓
LOW SHOT
↓
┌─────────┐
│ SIVERA │
│ 🧤 │
└─────────┘
↓
SAVE
Without those saves, Athletic could have entered half-time ahead.
Instead, the teams went into the break at:
Athletic Bilbao 0–0 Alavés
Half-Time: Control Without the Reward
Athletic had spent much of the first half controlling possession and pushing Alavés backwards.
But the scoreline revealed the problem.
Possession does not automatically equal goals.
Athletic had controlled the ball.
They had created opportunities.
But Alavés had done enough inside their own penalty area to prevent a breakthrough.
That meant the second half would be about one question:
Could Athletic turn control into a goal?
Athletic Continue the Pressure
The second half began with Athletic making a change.
Jesus Areso replaced Johaneko Louis-Jean.
Athletic continued to build through possession.
At the 49th minute, the home side exchanged combinations while looking for gaps.
At the 52nd minute, Robert Navarro produced a lovely ball into the penalty area.
But an Alavés defender intercepted it.
Again, Athletic had created the opening.
Again, Alavés closed it.
The Possession Gap Grows
By the 53rd minute, the possession figures had moved to:
Athletic Bilbao 67% — Alavés 33%
That is a significant amount of control.
Athletic had two-thirds of the ball.
But the match was still goalless.
This is where the tactical difference becomes important.
Tactical Sketch: 67% Possession vs. Defensive Compactness
ATHLETIC — 67%
○──○──○──○──○
\ │ │ │ /
\ │ │ │ /
\│ │ │/
↓ ↓ ↓
ALAVÉS
○ ○ ○ ○ ○
○ ○ ○ ○ ○
COMPACT
BLOCK
Athletic had more players involved in possession.
Alavés had fewer opportunities to attack.
But when Athletic approached the penalty area, Alavés compressed the space.
That was the key defensive mechanism.
Alavés Survive Another Wave
Athletic continued using the flanks.
Mikel Jauregizar's attempted cross was cleared.
Robert Navarro's delivery was cleared.
Jesus Areso then sent another cross into the area, but Sivera intercepted it.
Athletic even tried short corners.
At the 63rd minute, they worked a corner short rather than immediately delivering it into the box.
The following attack eventually resulted in another cross, but Alavés cleared.
Tactical Sketch: Athletic's Short-Corner Variation
CORNER
○
│
↓
○────────○
↑ │
short │
pass │
│ ↓
○──────→ CROSS
↓
ALAVÉS BOX
Athletic were clearly trying different ways to break the defensive block.
But Alavés continued to read the attacks.
Then Came the Biggest Moment: VAR Penalty
The match changed dramatically in the 69th minute.
Athletic had an earlier penalty appeal.
Initially, nothing happened.
But after receiving information, referee Victor Garcia went to review the incident.
VAR changed the decision.
Penalty to Athletic Bilbao.
This was the moment Athletic had been waiting for.
After controlling possession for much of the match, they now had the clearest possible scoring opportunity.
A penalty.
Oihan Sancet stepped forward.
The opportunity was enormous.
Sivera Saves Sancet's Penalty
Sancet sent the penalty towards the bottom-left corner.
It was not powerful enough.
Sivera read it.
The Alavés goalkeeper dived and made an excellent save.
Still 0–0.
This was the defining moment of the match.
Tactical Sketch: The Penalty Save
GOAL
┌─────────────────┐
│ │
│ ← BALL │
│ │
│ 🧤 │
│ SIVERA │
└─────────────────┘
↑
DIVES LEFT
SANCET PENALTY
↓
SAVED
The save did more than deny a goal.
It preserved Alavés' belief.
And it increased Athletic's frustration.
After dominating possession and creating chances, Athletic had finally received a penalty.
Even that did not break the deadlock.
The Game Changes After the Miss
After the penalty save, the match entered a different phase.
Athletic still had possession.
But the urgency increased.
Alavés began enjoying longer spells with the ball.
At the 73rd minute, Alavés were described as bossing possession through precise passing.
That was significant.
For much of the match, Athletic had dictated the rhythm.
Now Alavés were finding more confidence.
Tactical Sketch: Momentum Shift
FIRST PHASE
ATHLETIC
████████████████
POSSESSION
↓
PRESSURE
↓
CHANCES
AFTER PENALTY SAVE
ALAVÉS
██████████
POSSESSION
↓
CONTROL
↓
PROTECT 0–0
The penalty save had therefore become a psychological and tactical turning point.
Athletic Push Again
Athletic began finding their feet again around the 78th minute.
They returned to their patient passing and waited for openings.
Yuri Berchiche then produced one of the closest chances of the match.
At the 74th minute, he received the ball on the edge of the box and struck a shot that went inches wide of the right post.
That was extremely close.
Sivera was beaten.
The post—or the narrow margin beside it—was enough to keep the score level.
Alavés Defend the Final Crosses
The closing stages became a test of defensive concentration.
Yuri Berchiche sent a cross into the box in the 83rd minute.
An Alavés defender cleared it.
Jesus Areso then attempted another cross.
Again, the Alavés defence dealt with the danger.
At the other end, Pablo Ibanez delivered a dangerous ball into the box in the 81st minute, but Athletic cleared.
The match had effectively become a battle between:
Athletic's pressure
versus
Alavés' defensive survival.
The Final Minutes
Alavés continued to exchange passes as they looked for opportunities to keep possession.
Athletic continued trying to force the decisive attack.
At the 89th minute, Athletic won another corner.
But the delivery was cleared.
Alavés then earned a set piece in stoppage time, but Athletic's defence comfortably intercepted it.
Five minutes of stoppage time were initially indicated.
The referee eventually brought the game to an end at 90+6.
The result:
Athletic Bilbao 0–0 Alavés.
MatchWhy Tactical Breakdown
This match was decided by the difference between territorial control and end product.
Athletic repeatedly controlled possession.
But Alavés repeatedly defended the most dangerous spaces.
1. Athletic controlled the middle
ATHLETIC BUILD-UP
○
│
○─────○─────○
│ │ │
○─────○─────○
│
↓
FINAL THIRD
Athletic used combinations through midfield to keep the ball moving.
2. Alavés compressed the penalty area
ATHLETIC
↓
○ ○ ○
ALAVÉS BLOCK
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
○ ○ ○ ○ ○
NO SPACE
The closer Athletic got to goal, the more compact Alavés became.
3. Athletic moved the ball wide
CENTRAL AREA
○
│
○───────┼───────○
↑ ↑
LEFT RIGHT
ATTACK ATTACK
↓ ↓
CROSS CROSS
This produced several deliveries into the box.
But Alavés were generally ready for them.
4. Sivera provided the final barrier
Even when Athletic did find a shooting opportunity, Sivera was there.
And the penalty save was the clearest example.
ATHLETIC PRESSURE
↓
PENALTY WON
↓
SANCET SHOOTS
↓
┌───────────┐
│ SIVERA │
│ 🧤 │
└───────────┘
↓
SAVE
↓
0–0
Why Athletic Bilbao Couldn't Win
1. Possession was not converted into enough goalscoring efficiency
Athletic had 67% possession at one stage of the match.
But controlling the ball and finishing attacks are two different things.
Athletic repeatedly reached the final third but struggled to turn those attacks into a goal.
2. Alavés defended the box effectively
Crosses from Athletic's wide areas were repeatedly cleared.
When Athletic attempted passes into the box, Alavés defenders were often positioned to intercept them.
3. Sivera made the difference
The Alavés goalkeeper saved several Athletic efforts.
But the penalty save was the most important.
A goal there would likely have changed the entire final phase of the match.
4. Athletic's finishing lacked the final touch
There were opportunities.
Robert Navarro was denied early.
Mikel Jauregizar was saved.
Yuri Berchiche came extremely close.
And Sancet's penalty was saved.
The chances existed.
The finishing did not produce the goal.
Why Alavés Earned the Draw
Alavés' performance was built around defensive discipline and patience.
They accepted that Athletic would have significant possession.
Rather than constantly chasing the ball, they concentrated on protecting dangerous areas.
When Athletic crossed, they cleared.
When Athletic played through the middle, they attempted to close the passing lanes.
When Sancet stepped up for the penalty, Sivera produced the decisive save.
And after that save, Alavés managed the closing stages without conceding.
The Match's Biggest Turning Point
There is little doubt about the moment that defined this match.
69' — VAR awards Athletic Bilbao a penalty.
70' — Sivera saves Sancet's penalty.
That sequence can be illustrated simply:
69'
VAR REVIEW
↓
PENALTY ATHLETIC
↓
SANCET
↓
SHOT → BOTTOM LEFT
↓
SIVERA SAVE
↓
ALAVÉS SURVIVE
↓
0–0
If Athletic had converted, the entire final period would have looked different.
Instead, Alavés remained level and gained confidence.
The Match in One Sentence
Athletic Bilbao controlled possession and territory but could not break Alavés' compact defence, with Antonio Sivera's penalty save preserving a hard-earned 0–0 draw.
Final Takeaway
This was a classic example of why possession statistics cannot tell the entire story of a football match.
Athletic Bilbao had the majority of the ball.
They controlled the tempo for long stretches.
They created chances.
They attacked from wide areas.
They worked short corners.
They tested Antonio Sivera.
And eventually, VAR handed them a penalty.
But the goal never came.
Alavés defended their penalty area with discipline, cleared dangerous crosses and passes, and relied on Sivera whenever Athletic managed to get through.
The goalkeeper's penalty save was the defining moment.
After that, Alavés gained confidence and began enjoying more possession themselves.
Athletic continued pushing, but the final pass, finish or cross never produced the breakthrough.
So the 0–0 result was not simply a match where nothing happened.
It was a match where Athletic had control but Alavés controlled the most important spaces.
And when the biggest opportunity arrived, Sivera won the duel.
MatchWhy — We don't just tell you the score. We explain why.
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