Athletic Bilbao 3 - Levante 1

Athletic: Aranzubia; Iraola, Murillo, Luis Prieto, Del Horno (Moya 92'); Gurpegui, Orbaiz; Etxeberría, Tiko, Ezquerro (Lacruz 81'); Llorente (Urzaiz 72'). 4-2-3-1.
Levante: Mora; Pinillos, Culebras, Jesule (Tito 70'), Harte; Juanma, Camacho, Rivera, Jofre; Manchev (Congo 80'), Sergio García (Reggi 80'). 4-4-2.

Team changes: Athletic: Luis Prieto, Del Horno, Tiko, Llorente for Javi González, Lacruz, Moya, Urzaiz / Levante: Harte for Alexis.

Goals:
1-0. 11. Llorente. Picked up back-heel pass from Prieto and shot wide of Mora.
2-0. 52. Llorente. Got above defence to head Del Horno cross past keeper.
2-1. 72. Juanma. Collected cross from left and curled shot past advancing keeper.
3-1. 85. Urzaiz. Ran on to Etxeberría pass and forced shot past Mora.

Athletic Bilbao got their push for a European spot back on track after beating Levante 3-1. The hero of the night was youth international Llorente, who scored his first two league goals of his short career, the first with a shot from the edge of the area in the tenth minute after Luis Prieto set him up with a back-heel pass. Tiko had headed wide shortly before the goal, and the midfielder fired another shot against the post soon afterwards as the Basque side totally dominated the opening minutes.

Gradually though the visitors fought back, with Sergio García in particular looking dangerous, putting one effort just wide of the post and testing Aranzubia again before the break. But soon after the restart Llorente got on the end of Del Horno's long cross to head down past Mora, and Gurpegui could have made it three when he hit the post with a long shot a few minutes later.

Bernd Schuster's side got one back though when Juanma collected a long cross to beat Aranzubia, but substitute Urzaiz restored the two goal cushion five minutes from the end after picking up a through ball from Etxeberría. After their midweek defeat at the hands of Getafe Athletic were back in the top half of the table, still only five points off the European spots.