Sporting Stun Athletic Bilbao With Last-Gasp Champions League Win

On a dramatic night at San Mamés, Sporting CP stunned Athletic Club with a last-gasp 3-2 victory, securing a coveted place among the UEFA Champions League’s top eight and a direct ticket to the round of 16. In front of a roaring crowd of 52,065 in Bilbao, the Portuguese side recovered from two deficits, with Alisson Santos delivering the decisive blow deep into stoppage time. For Athletic, the result spelled heartbreak and elimination after a rollercoaster campaign.

Heading into this final league phase encounter on January 28, 2026, both sides had everything to play for. Athletic Bilbao, sitting 13th in La Liga and fighting inconsistency, knew a win was essential for a playoff berth. Sporting, second in Portugal’s Primeira Liga, needed victory and help from elsewhere to guarantee a top-eight finish and avoid the playoff gauntlet. The stakes couldn’t have been higher, and the match delivered on every front.

From the opening whistle, the Basque hosts seized the initiative. Just three minutes in, Oihan Sancet exploited a defensive lapse, latching onto a clever one-two with Guruzeta to fire low into the left corner. The early goal sent the home crowd into raptures and gave Athletic a dream start. But Sporting, buoyed by recent wins—including a 2-1 triumph over Paris Saint-Germain—didn’t waste time responding.

In the 12th minute, Sporting’s Ousmane Diomande rose highest to meet Maximiliano Araujo’s corner, thundering a header into the net and silencing San Mamés. The visitors’ resilience was quickly put to the test again, as Gorka Guruzeta restored Athletic’s lead in the 28th minute. After a determined run, Guruzeta’s initial effort crashed off the post, but he made no mistake with the rebound, smashing home to make it 2-1. The hosts looked poised to control proceedings, but Sporting’s energy and tactical flexibility kept them in the contest.

Both teams exchanged blows in a frenetic first half, with tempers flaring and the referee’s notebook filling up. Yellow cards were handed out to Eduardo Quaresma, Aitor Paredes, Joao Simoes, and Pote as the intensity ratcheted up. Injuries and tactical adjustments saw key substitutions, including Matheus Reis replacing an injured Gonçalo Inácio for Sporting and Berenguer coming on for Sancet, who left the field hurt.

After the break, Sporting’s manager Rui Borges made bold changes, injecting fresh legs and attacking intent. The decision paid off handsomely in the 62nd minute, when Francisco Trincão combined slickly with Geny Catamo before rifling a shot into the right corner past Unai Simon. The equalizer shifted the momentum, and suddenly it was the visitors dictating play.

"The past is behind us. I’m very focused on what we can do tomorrow. The group wants to do something that will go down in the club’s history, which is to finish in the top eight," Borges had said before the match. His players responded to the challenge with grit and belief.

Athletic, for their part, struggled to recapture their earlier spark. Coach Ernesto Valverde, who had called on his side to seize their rare opportunity for European progress—"We have to take advantage of this opportunity to continue in the competition, which for us is a success. We would have accepted competing for qualification on the last matchday. Let’s see if we can do it at home, with our fans,"—could only watch as Sporting pressed relentlessly for the winner.

The match’s turning point came in the closing stages. Sporting thought they’d earned a penalty after Adama Boiro tangled with Geny Catamo, but VAR intervened, and referee Felix Zwayer reversed his decision following a visit to the pitch-side monitor. The drama was far from over.

With the clock ticking into the 94th minute, Sporting launched a final assault. Luis Suárez broke free and forced a sharp save from Simon, but the rebound fell kindly to substitute Alisson Santos. Showing composure beyond his years, Santos carried the ball from the left and unleashed a low drive into the right corner, sending the visiting bench into wild celebration. The late strike sealed a 3-2 win and Sporting’s direct passage to the Champions League round of 16.

For Athletic, the defeat was a bitter pill. Despite a spirited performance, they finished with just two wins, two draws, and four defeats from their eight group matches, falling short of the playoff spots. Their Champions League adventure ends with hard lessons learned but also moments to savor—like the stirring 3-2 win at Atalanta a week earlier.

Sporting’s triumph was built on resilience and attacking flair. The Portuguese side’s recent form has been electric: three consecutive wins in all competitions, including league success and that headline-making victory over PSG. Luis Suárez, fresh from a brace against Arouca, was a constant threat, while Diomande, Trincão, and Santos provided the crucial goals on this historic night.

The numbers underline Sporting’s attacking credentials. They boast an 86% record for matches with over 2.5 goals in this Champions League campaign, and their ability to find the net in key moments has set them apart. The victory in Bilbao capped a group stage where they finished with 16 points from eight games, good enough for seventh place—level on points with Chelsea, Barcelona, and Manchester City, and just behind the likes of Arsenal and Bayern Munich.

Elsewhere in the Champions League, the final round of league phase matches produced fireworks. Liverpool hammered Qarabag 6-0, Barcelona thumped Copenhagen 4-1, and Benfica stunned Real Madrid 4-2. The round of 16 lineup now features the continent’s elite, with Sporting joining Arsenal, Bayern, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, and Manchester City in the next stage. Athletic, meanwhile, must regroup and refocus on domestic challenges after a campaign that promised much but ultimately fell short.

As the dust settles, Sporting’s achievement will resonate in Lisbon and beyond. The club’s dream of making history—articulated so clearly by Borges—remains alive. For Athletic, the Champions League adventure ends, but the memories of a pulsating night at San Mamés and the lessons learned may fuel future European ambitions. The road to the final continues, and for Sporting, the journey just got a whole lot more exciting.