Athletic Club Vs Elche: Guruzeta’s late penalty gives Athletic a 2-1 win at San Mamés
In a tense jornada 25 match at San Mamés, athletic club vs elche finished 2-1 after Gorka Guruzeta converted a decisive penalty in the final moments, a result that leaves both teams looking ahead to their next fixtures.
Athletic Club Vs Elche decided from the spot
A spectacular finish saw the contest settled from the penalty spot. Gorka Guruzeta struck the winning spot kick after a VAR review that followed a challenge involving Pedro Bigas and Aymeric Laporte; the referee reviewed the incident on the monitor and awarded a penalty and a yellow card to the Elche defender, and Guruzeta took the decisive kick in the closing moments to make it 2-1 at San Mamés.
Retaken penalty, big saves and late drama
Earlier, André Silva had given Elche hope by converting from the spot — but only after his first attempt was ordered retaken because of a double touch on the initial kick, forcing Silva to step up twice and score his second attempt to level the game at 1-1. Matías Dituro was a central figure for Elche: the goalkeeper produced several key saves and also conceded in situations that shaped the night, with the match described as one of high tension and alternating chances at San Mamés.
Lineups, referee and concrete details
The match was controlled by referee Alejandro Hernández Hernández. Ernesto Valverde set Athletic in a 4-5-1 with Unai Simón in goal, Iñigo Lekue, Dani Vivian, Aymeric Laporte and Yuri Berchiche across the back, a midfield including Oihan Sancet and Iñaki Williams, and Gorka Guruzeta leading the attack. Eder Sarabia’s Elche lined up in a 4-4-2 with Matías Dituro in goal and André Silva and Alvaro Rodriguez up front. The result left Athletic with three points from the San Mamés fixture and left Elche to regroup after the late defeat in jornada 25.
Guruzeta’s penalty carried extra weight: he had limited prior experience taking spot kicks with the club, and his calm from the spot secured the winning goal. Fan voting highlighted the performances on the night: Guruzeta received 32% of a readers’ poll for Best Player, narrowly ahead of Dituro’s 27% share.
athletic club vs elche produced controversy at multiple moments — a retaken penalty for Elche, a VAR review that awarded Athletic a late penalty, and notable goalkeeping interventions — and will be remembered for its dramatic finish at San Mamés.
What’s next
Athletic travel next to Vallecas to face Rayo in their following match on 28 de febrero, while Elche return to Martínez Valero to host Espanyol on 1 de marzo. Recovery and preparation for those fixtures will be the immediate focus for both teams after this 2-1 result in jornada 25.
