Elche: Tyton; Damián Suárez, Enzo Roco, Pellegrín, Cisma; Mosquera, Adrián González; Víctor Rodríguez (Rodrigues 84’), Fayçal Fajr (Pasalic 88‘), Aarón Ñíguez (Coro 72‘); Jonathas. 4-2-3-1.
Athletic: Herrerín; De Marcos, San José, Laporte, Balenziaga; Iturraspe (Gurpegui 56‘), Beñat; Viguera (Aketxe 67‘), Mikel Rico (Susaeta 80’), Iñaki Williams; Aduríz. 4-2-3-1.
Goals:
1-0. 32. Jonathas. Ran on to return Fajr pass and forced angled shot past Herrerín
2-0. 45. Jonathas. Picked up quick Adrián free kick and steered shot past keeper.
2-1. 80. Aketxe. Struck angled shot past Tyton after Aduríz played ball out to him.
2-2. 87. San José. Fired shot past keeper after defender headed up Aketxe cross.
2-3. 92. Williams. Volley past keeper after Aduríz headed over Herrerín clearance.
Yellow cards: Aduríz 56’, Jonathas 63’, Cisma 89’, Gurpegui 90’.
Cup finalists Athletic Bilbao move above Málaga to seventh after coming from two goals down to beat Elche 2-3, and they now have two bites at the Europa League cherry, either by winning the cup or finishing in that seventh spot. Viguera fired an early shot into the side netting, but otherwise the home side dominated the first half, Jonathas, Víctor Rodríguez and Adrián González all failing to find the target before Jonathas ran on to Fajr’s return pass to force a shot past Herrerín. With half time approaching Jonathas made it two after a quickly taken Adrián free kick caught the Bilbao defence sleeping, and after the restart Rodríguez could have added a third. However Bilbao’s youngsters turned the game around in the last ten minutes, Aketxe running on to an Aduríz pass to score his first goal for the club, and San José making it two with a first time shot past Tyton after Aketxe’s cross was headed up into the air by a defender. San José had a headed goal disallowed a couple of minutes later for reasons only the referee knows, and with the game in injury time Williams volleyed home the winner after Aduríz headed on Herrerín’s long clearance.