Valencia 1, Athletic Bilbao 0

BILBAO (Interstat) — Valencia opened the La Liga season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday at San Mamés, spoiling the home side’s return to league action and handing the visitors a perfect start. The only goal came in the 72nd minute when forward Sadiq Umar collected a pass from midfielder Alejandro Rego and finished calmly past Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simón. The strike settled a tense, physical contest that saw five yellow cards and few clear-cut chances for either side. Valencia’s defensive organization frustrated Athletic Bilbao throughout the match. The home team struggled to break through a… Read more...