Iñaki Williams has insisted Athletic Club’s defeat to Arsenal was harsh on his side, claiming the scoreline at San Mamés did not reflect the contest.
Iñaki Williams insisted that Athletic Club’s 2-0 defeat to Arsenal at San Mamés did not tell the full story of the game, pointing to his side’s effort and commitment against one of the competition’s leading contenders.
Speaking to the media after the final whistle, their captain said: “The result does not reflect what the match was like, we played a good game. Arsenal is one of the favourites in this competition, we have fought and we have left every last drop of sweat.”
Athletic returned to the Champions League after an 11-year absence and made a forceful start, unsettling Arsenal in the first half and even creating the best chance of the opening period when Alex Berenguer failed to take advantage of a promising break.
Williams reflected that his team had been “quite superior” in those early stages and it’s hard to argue. Arsenal took some time to find their feet in the game, but when they did there looked to be only one winner. “They haven’t been comfortable at all,” he said. “It is true that from the goal we have dropped a little mentally, but still we have continued to push.”
Ultimately, it was the changes made by Mikel Arteta that proved decisive. Gabriel Martinelli, introduced in the 71st minute, scored with his first meaningful touch less than a minute later, running clear to beat Unai Simón.
In the closing stages, Martinelli turned provider for Leandro Trossard, who sealed the result with a shot that deflected in off Dani Vivian.
Williams accepted the clinical nature of Arsenal’s attack. “We knew this before we started, that world-class players kill the game in two isolated moves,” he said. “Athletic has not come to enjoy the competition but to compete in it. We have made a hard effort that has not helped much.”
The striker was quick to stress, however, that this was only the opening fixture in the new league phase. “There are seven more games left,” he said. “To learn because there are seven games left and we want to keep competing.”
For Athletic, it was a bittersweet return to Europe’s top stage, a night that showed promise but ended in disappointment. For Arsenal, it underlined their depth and ruthlessness, qualities Williams acknowledged make them one of the strongest teams in the competition.