San Mames stands firm as Athletic halt PSG advance

Athletic Club produced one of their most disciplined European performances in recent years, holding Paris Saint-Germain to a 0-0 draw in a tense Champions League encounter at a hostile San Mames.

Roared on by a relentless home crowd, Ernesto Valverde side refused to be overawed by the reigning champions. They pressed, tackled and competed for every second ball, turning the stadium into a pressure cooker that clearly unsettled the visitors.

PSG dominated possession and arrived in Bilbao with attacking numbers to worry any defence, but Unai Simon stood tall. The Spain number one was outstanding, making a string of key saves to deny Senny Mayulu late in the first half before frustrating Bradley Barcola, Warren Zaire-Emery and Fabian Ruiz after the break. Barcola came closest to breaking the deadlock when his fierce strike crashed against the crossbar.

While PSG ended the night with an expected goals figure well above two, their finishing never matched the build-up. Athletic, by contrast, created fewer clear chances but showed courage in transition, with Berenguer and Nico Williams testing Matvey Safonov from range.

As the game wore on, the Basque side sensed history. Every clearance was cheered, every duel fought like a final, and even as Paris slowed the tempo late on, the home crowd never stopped driving their team forward.

The draw leaves Athletic outside the playoff places for now, sitting 28th, but with everything still to fight for in their final fixtures against Atalanta and Sporting. For PSG, third place remains comfortable, though questions will be asked about their lack of cutting edge on nights like this. On a proud evening in Bilbao, spirit, structure and a world class goalkeeper proved more than enough.