LaLiga: Williams Shines as Athletic Beat Betis to Boost European Hopes

Athletic Club beat Real Betis 2-1 to boost european hopes

Athletic Club beat Real Betis 2-1, with Inaki Williams assisting both goals, to reignite their European qualification push.

Athletic Club beat Real Betis 2-1, moving up to 9th in LaLiga, with goals from Vivian and Sancet. Inaki Williams inspires Athletic Club win over Real Betis...

Athletic Club snapped a four-game winless streak with a 2-1 win over Real Betis, thanks to Inaki Williams' two assists. The Lions dominated early, creating two clear chances in the first four minutes and ending their scoring drought after three goalless games.

Gorka Guruzeta scored the opener, assisted by Williams, and the winger played a part in the second goal too. Betis pulled one back late, but Athletic held on to secure a crucial win for their European qualification push. 

Athletic Bilbao's chances looked slim until the 25th minute, with Aymeric Laporte and Alex Berenguer having earlier chances go awry. Laporte's header flew wide, while Berenguer's shot was saved by Pau Lopez, who also dealt with Iñaki Williams' follow-up.

🔚 𝗟𝗘𝗧'𝗦 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢! ➕3⃣

🎩 A great performance by Athletic, who showed strength of character under pressure to pick up a vital win.

👏 Fantastic work, Lehoiak! #AthleticRealBetis #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/hS63dOSTTz

— Athletic Club (@Athletic_en) March 22, 2026

The breakthrough finally came from an unexpected source – centre back Dani Vivian, who scored his first goal of the season. Iñaki Williams set him up perfectly, and Vivian fired a low shot into the far corner from the edge of the box.

Real Betis struggled to trouble Athletic Bilbao, despite their 4-0 Europa League thrashing of Panathinaikos just days before. Manager Manuel Pellegrini looked increasingly frustrated, especially as Betis failed to capitalize on chances, with the Chilean coach marking his 300th game in charge with a loss.

Inaki Williams continued to make an impact, setting up Oihan Sancet for the second goal just before half-time. Williams' clever play helped Sancet score his fifth goal of the season, leaving Betis looking for an unlikely comeback.

Real Betis responded to Athletic's lead with a triple change at half-time, Pellegrini bringing on Hector Bellerin, Sergi Altimira, and Pablo Fornals. Betis pushed hard, but Athletic nearly extended their lead, with Lopez making a crucial save to tip Berenguer's long-range strike over the bar.

Athletic Bilbao's attack remained potent, but Betis had their share of chances too. Abde Ezzalzouli's low shot forced Unai Simon into a smart save, showing Betis' threat wasn't gone.

Fifteen minutes from time, Betis pulled one back in style – Pablo Fornals' stunning free-kick curled into the top corner, taking his season tally to seven goals and giving Betis hope.

Cedric Bakambu poked the ball past Simon two minutes later, but a potential goal was ruled out as VAR flagged him offside. Betis pushed hard, making the final minutes tense for Athletic, but the hosts held on for the win.

Read Also: Ernesto Valverde Announces Departure from Athletic Bilbao

The victory lifts Athletic to 9th in LaLiga, just three points shy of European spots. It's also their first league double over Betis since 2017/18. Betis, meanwhile, remain 5th but are winless in five LaLiga games (D3, L2).