Athletic Club ended Qarabag’s flawless start to their Champions League campaign with a commanding 3–1 comeback win at San Mamés, powered by goals from Gorka Guruzeta and Robert Navarro.
The Azerbaijani champions stunned the Basque crowd just 48 seconds in when Leandro Andrade capitalised on a defensive mix-up between Aymeric Laporte and Aitor Paredes to coolly slot past Mateusz Kochalski. But their dream start quickly unravelled as Athletic seized control.
Guruzeta levelled in the 38th minute, rifling home from Mikel Jauregizar’s precise through ball after earlier forcing a fine save from Kochalski. The forward nearly struck again before the interval but sent his stretching effort wide.
The hosts’ pressure told midway through the second half when Navarro curled a superb left-footed strike from the edge of the box into the far corner, giving Athletic a deserved lead. Guruzeta then sealed the points two minutes from time, controlling a high ball before drilling it low into the corner to secure his brace.
The result lifts Athletic to three points after defeats to Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund, while Qarabag remain on six following their shock wins over Benfica and Copenhagen.
Elsewhere, Galatasaray matched Qarabag’s tally with a 3–1 home victory over Bodo/Glimt, inspired by Victor Osimhen’s early double.
Despite defeat, Andrade made history as the first player ever to score in the opening minute of three separate UEFA competition matches. His feat, however, provided little comfort as Qarabag’s European momentum hit its first major snag in Bilbao.
