CHANCE! Carrasco should end the game as he takes the ball off the feet of Torres inside the box and beats the challenge of Boveda. However, he can only strike his effort well over the bar from six yards. it won't matter now, but that was a shocking miss.
Referee Martinez brings an end to the contest as Atletico hold out for a huge win.
90' +3
All hands on deck at the back for Atletico as San Jose breaks into the box with quick feet, but once again they have plenty of men back to deal with the danger, which allows them to clear.
90' +1
CHANCE! Savic almost puts the ball into his own net as he tries to clear the danger from a cross into the box. However, the defender heads the ball backwards and forces Oblak into a smart diving save to corral the ball.
90'
There will be four minutes of added time.
89'
CHANCE! Leuke puts Juanfran in a spin down the left flank and sends a dangerous cross towards the near post. Raul Garcia gets across Lucas and guides his header on to loop towards the target. Oblak is forced to backpeddle quickly, but does just enough to claim the ball with a leap to prevent the equaliser.
88'
The visitors are doing an excellent job of eeking out the clock as Athletic Club are becoming desperate in their pursuit of an equaliser. Time is slowly running out for Valverde's men.
85'
Oblak goes down in a heap as he claims the ball under pressure. The keeper seemed to collide with his defenders as well as Viguera, although he is not getting much sympathy from the home crowd at the San Mames.
84'
CHANCE! Carrasco almost puts the game to bed by latching on to a cross at the back post and showing great skill to bring the ball under control. He gets a yard on Boveda and strikes an effort on the half-volley towards the bottom corner, only to be denied by a fine save from Iraizoz.
82'
Griezmann makes a good run into the final third to ease the pressure on his backline, killing vital time off the clock as well. The home side look bereft of ideas in the final third, but do they have it in them for one last push.
80'
Another corner is won by the hosts as Filipe Luis steers the ball behind. The cross comes into the box and falls at the feet of San Jose, who blasts his effort into a wall of blue shirts, but has the opportunity to strike again. The midfielder fires towards goal, but once again the Atletico defence come out on top and they clear the danger.
Minute
Description
79'
The home side are upping the ante in the final third, but are yet to carve out the clear-cut opportunity needed to find the back of the net. Atletico have been impressive at the back, and do not look like yielding their lead.
77'
Athletic Club win a corner and the ball falls at the feet of Inaki Williams in the six-yard box. The midfielder cannot turn Savic inside the box, and feeds the ball back to Viguera who strikes with power, but Lucas comes across to make a vital block.
75'
De Marcos sends a good cross in from the right, but Raul Garcia gets sandwiched between Savic and Lucas as he tries to head the ball at goal. His headed effort goes well over the bar, but the home side are starting to commit more men forward.
74'
The tempo of the game has dropped over the past few minutes. Athletic need to find a spark from somewhere to find a leveller because the visitors look comfortable sitting on their 1-0 lead.
73'
Lekue enters the game and replaces Susaeta.
Final change for the home side as Susaeta makes way for Lekue.
69'
Lucas has been solid enough since replacing Godin in the first-half and he comes up with another important clearance to stop De Marcos's dangerous cross from finding Raul Garcia in the middle. The match is evenly-poised at the moment.
67'
CHANCE! Griezmann seizes on a loose ball on the edge of the box and drives into the penalty area. The Frenchman looks poised to pull the trigger, but Boveda gets back at the forward just enough to put him off his strike and win the ball for Athletic Club. Crucial moment in the game as Griezmann could have ended the contest with a second goal.
66'
Iturraspe enters the game and replaces Xabier Etxeita.
An attacking substitution for the home side as defender Etxeita makes way for Iturraspe. San Jose drops out of the midfield to partner Boveda at centre-back.
63'
The home side are starting to find joy with lofted passes to Raul Garcia in the penalty area. The midfielder has caused problems for Lucas and Savic in the early stages of the half, and the defenders have been far from convincing in the air.
62'
Y. Carrasco enters the game and replaces T. Partey.
Carrasco comes on to the pitch to replace Partey in the visitors' midfield.
59'
I. Williams enters the game and replaces Muniain.
Muniain had a solid outing in the opening 45 minutes, but Valverde has called an end to his time on the pitch to replace him with Inaki Williams.
55'
CHANCE! Benat sends a deep cross towards the penalty spot for the run of Raul Garcia, who gets the better of Savic. His headed effort loops towards the target, but Oblak watches the ball safely into his hands. Space is opening up for the home side in the final third.
53'
CHANCE! Space opens up in the final third for Benat to strike the ball with venom towards the net, but Oblak manages to get enough behind the swerving effort to keep it out.
51'
Etxeita gives the ball away on the edge of his own box and Koke sends it into the path of Torres. The striker tries to carve out space for a strike, but Boveda comes in with a strong tackle to clear the danger for his side. An important challenge by the Athletic centre-back.
48'
CHANCE! Atletico threaten at the start of the half as Koke whips a corner into the near post and Savic beats his man in their aerial tussle, but the defender cannot direct his effort on target and the home side manage to clear the danger. Almost a second goal for the visitors.
46'
We're back underway at San Mames.
45' +2
Referee Juan Martinez brings an end to the first-half.
45'
There will be two minutes of added time.
44'
The home side have reacted to the pressure from Atletico with a solid spell of possession, but are yet to test the gloves of Oblak with a serious effort at goal.
41'
OFF THE POST! Iraizoz goes down in the box following a free-kick from the visitors as the keeper tried to come for the ball and missed. Partey tries to capitalise on the situation by firing the ball towards an empty net, but his strike clatters off the post. A huge melee ensues as the Athletic players confront the midfielder for playing on, but the referee did not blow his whistle to stop the action.
38'
Fernando Torres has scored a goal for Atletico Madrid! Assist by A. Griezmann.
GOAL! Out of nowhere Atletico take the lead as Torres displays his clinical edge to move between the two Athletic centre-backs and latch on to Griezmann's cross to guide his head down beyond the reach of Iraizoz into the bottom corner. A great headed finish by the forward.
Griezmann displays great skill to unlock the home side's defence with sublime lofted cross to find his strike partner, who did the rest.
36'
Susaeta shows a burst of pace down the right by knocking the ball past Lucas, but the defender shows great recovery skills to get his body between the ball and the advancing midfielder. The Athletic man bundles over Lucas and the referee correctly awards a free kick to the visitors.
33'
Balenziaga wins a corner off the legs of Juanfran following a flowing attacking move from the hosts. However, the corner is wasted by Benat as his cross sails into the arms of Oblak. The game needs an injection of quality from someone.
31'
Muniain makes a good run down the left flank and cuts the ball back on to his right foot to send a cross towards the penalty spot. Raul Garcia rises to head an effort towards the net, but Oblak's positioning is solid and allows him to make the stop with relative ease.
29'
Both sides are struggling for rhythm at the moment as neither has offered a great deal in the final third. The passing has been good until the teams have approached the opposition penalty area, where they have been unable to conjure the magic needed to carve out clear-cut opening.
26'
De Marcos makes a vital intervention at the back post to head Fernandez's cross behind as Partey lurked behind him waiting to dispatch the opening into the net. Good defending by the full-back.
25'
Torres causes problems in the final third by cutting on to his right foot and sends his pass inside to Saul. The midfielder strikes the ball with power, but sees his first effort blocked by Boveda. However, the ball rebounds straight back to Saul who fires his effort wide of the post, although the referee awards a corner, much to the displeasure of the home side.
23'
Benat sends his strike over the wall, but his effort sails comfortably over the bar without testing Oblak. Not the best attempt from that distance.
22'
Atheltic Club win a free-kick in a dangerous area outside the box as Viguera is brought down by Savic. Benat will take the set-piece from around 25 yards.
20'
PENALTY SHOUT! Benat whips a corner into the near post and Viguera battles for control at the near post with Juanfran. Susaeta tries to take over, but he gets brought down by the defender and the home side appeal for a penalty, which is not given by the referee.
17'
Muniain makes another raid this time down the left flank for the hosts, and he sends a dangerous ball across the face of goal, but there is no player in red and white in the middle to convert the cross. Impressive start by the midfielder.
15'
Filipe Luis shows his team-mate how to cross from the left as he produces a peach of a ball for the run of Torres, but the striker just cannot rise high enough to make contact with his header from close range.
13'
Atletico have not made much of an impact in the final third to start the game. Koke wastes a good attacking position down the left by curling his cross straight into the arms of Iraizoz.
11'
L. Hernández enters the game and replaces D. Godín.
A big blow for Atletico as Godin is forced off due to injury. It seemed quite innocuous, but the Uruguayan leaves the pitch and is replaced by Hernandez.
9'
CHANCE! The first effort of the game goes to the home side and Muniain collects the ball outside the box and drives towards goal through the middle of the field. The midfielder opts for a strike, but he can only fire his shot straight into the arms of Oblak.
8'
Both sides have shown patience so far in this match with no players pushing forward to lose their shape. We could have a defensive battle on our hands here.
6'
Torres did claim the ball was outside the area when Iraizoz took possession of the ball with his hands, and replays have proven that the keeper did collect outside his box. The home side get away with one there.
5'
Godin knocks a long ball forward to the edge of the Athletic area, but Iraizoz is alert to the danger of Torres as he claims the ball ahead of the striker with Etxeita acting as his shield.
3'
Slow start to the game from both sides as they attempt to build possession from the back. No team has produced a threat in the final third yet, with most of the passing occuring in the middle of the park.
1'
We're underway at the San Mames.
Good evening and welcome to the live commentary of the La Liga clash between Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid at San Mames.
Barcelona's recent slump has blown the title race wide open as Diego Simeone's men are now level on points with the Catalan Club. Luis Enrique's are in action tonight and currently hold a 1-0 lead over Deportivo, but Atletico can keep the pressure on them with a win this evening.
Atletico have been in prime form in all competitions, having knocked the regining European champions out of the Champions League with a 2-0 victory over Barcelona at the Vicente Calderon. Meanwhile, they have reeled off seven wins in their last eight matches in La Liga, including their 3-0 triumph over Granada at the weekend. Simeone's men have peaked just at the right time in the campaign.
Athletic Bilbao will not make life easy for Madrid this evening, with ambitions of their own to break into the top four. The club are currently six points behind fourth-place Villarreal with four matches remaining in the campaign. In order to secure a place in Europe's elite competition next season, Ernesto Valverde's men will have to pick up points tonight.
The team news has been announced and we'll start with the home side.
Athletic Club (4-2-3-1): Iraizoz; De Marcos, Boveda, Etxeita, Balenziaga; Benat, San Jose; Suseata, Raul Garcia, Muniain; Viguera.
Atletico subs: Moya, Kranevitter, Correa, Jesus Gamez, Hernandez, Carrasco, Vietto.
Valverde has made four changes to his side from their 1-0 win over Malaga at the weekend. Etxeita, De Marcos, Bernat and Suseata all come into the side at the expense of Lekue, Gurpegi, Mikel Rico and Iturraspe, who all drop to the bench this evening.
The players have made their way out on to the pitch, so we should be underway shortly.
UPDATE: Barcelona are now 2-0 up against Deportivo thanks to a second goal from Luis Suarez. It looks like the Catalan club will move three points clear for now.
Simeone has made three changes to his team that defeated Granada as Filipe Luis, Augusto Fernandez and Thomas Partey all come into the starting lineup, while Gabi, Yannick Carrasco and Lucas Hernandez all drop out of the team. Gabi misses out due to suspension, while Hernandez and Carrasco start the game on the bench. Fernando Torres and Antoine Griezmann continue to lead the line in attack for Atletico.
HALF-TIME: Athletic Club 0-1 Atletico Madrid
Atletico take a 1-0 lead into the break thanks to Fernando Torres's 38th-minute strike at the San Mames. There has been little between the two sides as they both struggled for a clinical edge in the final third throughout the first half. However, Antoine Griezmann produced a moment of magic to loft the ball between the two Athletic centre-backs for the run of his team-mate who did the rest with a fine headed finish. The home side will be disappointed to trail having matched the opponents bar that one lapse at the back, and will be determined to level things up in the second-half. Diego Simeone will be delighted with his side's defensive effort so far, especially since Diego Godin left with an injury after 10 minutes.
UPDATE: Barcelona will lead the Primera Division by three points when their game ends as they currently lead Deportivo by a staggering 8-0 in their clash this evening. Luis Suarez has netted four goals, while Lionel Messi has also scored along with strikes from Neymar, Ivan Rakitic and Marc Bartra. Their impending victory makes it all the more important that Atletico win this clash tonight.
The players have made their way back on to the pitch for the second-half, so we should be underway again shortly.
FULL-TIME: Athletic Club 0-1 Atletico Madrid
Thanks for joining our commentary this evening. Until next time, goodbye.
A huge victory for Atletico as they keep the pace with Barcelona at the top of the table. Fernando Torres scored the only goal of the game with a neat header in the 38th minute after Antoine Griezman unlocked the home side's defence, in the only bit of true quality throughout the contest. Athletic Club were unable to take advantage of Diego Godin's absence as they failed to test Jan Oblak sufficiently enough to earn a point from the match, which puts a huge dent in their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. Four games remain in the season and Diego Simeone's men have an excellent chance of securing the crown for the second time in three years, if they maintain their current form.
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