23 shots, six saves and no goals at San Mamés

A goalless draw despite Athletic’s 23 shots

Athletic Club and Alaves drew 0-0 at San Mamés Stadium in La Liga’s seventh round on Saturday, September 19. Athletic controlled much of the match, but Alaves goalkeeper Sivera kept the visitors level with six saves. The result was a draw, with neither side finding a goal.

Missed penalty denies Athletic

The clearest turning point came in the 70th minute, when Oihan Sancet missed a penalty for Athletic Club. It was the home side’s best opportunity to convert its pressure into a lead, but the score remained unchanged. There were no goalscorers in the match and no successful finishes to separate the teams.

Athletic made four listed substitutions as the game progressed. Jesus Areso replaced Johaneko Louis-Jean at half-time, while Alex Berenguer and Maroan Sannadi came on for Mikel Jauregizar and Iñaki Williams in the 62nd minute. Peio Canales replaced Robert Navarro Muñoz in the 75th minute. Alaves introduced Toni Martínez for Mariano Díaz in the 65th minute and Youssef Enriquez for Abderrahmane Rebbach one minute later.

Dominant numbers, no reward

The statistics showed a clear territorial and attacking advantage for Athletic. E. Terzić’s 4-2-3-1 recorded 69% possession and 620 total passes, including 559 accurate passes, compared with Alaves’ 31%, 279 total passes and 208 accurate passes. Athletic also attempted 23 shots to Alaves’ two, including eight from inside the box and 15 from outside it.

Athletic put six shots on target and forced six saves from Sivera, while Alaves failed to register a shot on goal. The home side also won the corner count 5-1 and produced eight blocked shots. Those figures made the final scoreline a contradiction of the balance of play: Athletic created sustained pressure, but could not turn it into a goal.

Discipline and league impact

Athletic received two yellow cards. Iñigo Ruiz De Galarreta was booked in the 71st minute, shortly after the missed penalty, and Jesus Areso was cautioned in the 90th. Alaves finished without a yellow card, and neither team received a red card.

Sivera was the standout performer, earning a 7.5 rating after playing all 90 minutes and making six saves. Yuri also received a 7.5 rating, completing 86 minutes with one shot on target, two key passes and six tackles.

The draw left Alaves sixth with 10 points from six games, after a record of three wins, one draw and two losses. Athletic stood 10th with seven points from five games, having recorded two wins, one draw and two losses. Athletic’s recent sequence remained Loss, Loss, Win, Win, Draw, while Alaves’ most recent six-match form was Win, Draw, Win, Win, Loss, Loss.