BATE Borisov moved above Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League Group H standings with a 2-1 victory over their opponents at the Borisov Arena this evening.
The hosts took the lead through Dzyanis Palyakow's close-range finish on 19 minutes, and it got even better before the interval when Aleksander Karnitskiy added a second.
Aritz Aduriz did manage to pull a goal back for the Basque outfit, although BATE held out for all three points to return to winning ways.
Here, Sports Mole looks back at the 90 minutes of action from Belarus.
Match statistics
BATE Borisov
Shots: 14
On target: 7
Possession: 42%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 15
Athletic Bilbao
Shots: 9
On target: 2
Possession: 58%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 15
Was the result fair?
Both sides came into this game out for form and in desperate need of a win, but it was clear to see from the off that BATE wanted the victory more this evening. Credit to the Belarusian champions for putting their 6-0 thrashing against Porto last time out in this competition behind them, as it was they who settled the quicker of the two, taking a well-deserved lead through Polyakow on 19 minutes.
Bilbao failed to push on from the setback, and instead it was the hosts looking to add the game's second goal which they duly found through Karnitskiy's deflected strike. When Aritz Aduriz pulled a goal back for the Basque outfit on the brink of half time you felt it would prove to be the turning point, but Ernesto Valverde's side struggled to keep hold of the ball and they perhaps should have lost by a bigger margin in the end.
BATE Borisov's performance
Alyksandr Yermakovich has had two weeks to stew over the Porto mauling, and credit to him for setting his team out in the correct manner to make amends on home turf this evening. BATE came into this one with no wins in four, yet they extended their impeccable home record, with no defeats on their own patch in over a year now.
In all Yermakovich made four changes from the weekend, taking a risk on a largely inexperienced attack, with top scorer Vitali Rodionov watching on from the bench having failed to fully overcome an injury. It was by no means a perfect team performance and early on the hosts looked sloppy, yet they showed great desire from then on in and ultimately took their chances in the first half. This win - their first ever over Spanish opposition - will give them real belief heading into their next set of fixtures.
Athletic Bilbao's performance
A terrible performance from Les Leones who badly struggled to keep hold of possession in attacking positions. Bilbao simply had no cutting edge and looked extremely predictable throughout. The pressure on manager Valverde will no doubt intensify with tonight's disappointing display making it six games without victory.
It is difficult to praise any Athletic players on the basis of this broken display, yet credit must go to goalscorer Aduriz who has now played a part in five of his side's nine goals this season. One positive Bilbao can take away from this is the fact that, despite being second best throughout, they still almost snatched a point with some late pressure at the end. More to come both domestically and in Europe, but their season is by no means over at this stage.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Mikalay Signevich: A few home contenders for this accolade, none more so than Karnitskiy, but Signevich's tireless running deserves recognition. Very nearly scored a contender for goal of the season with his first-half volley which cannoned back off the upright.
Biggest gaffe
Not one single incident as such, but more a collective Bilbao performance. At times in the first half you could be mistaken for thinking that 11 random players had been pitted together for the first time, because the visiting side simply could not string any passes together with real intent.
Referee performance
Stephane Lannoy had one big decision to make four minutes after the restart, and he just about got it right. Aduriz went to ground after seeing his run halted, but it would have been harsh to see a penalty awarded. A decent performance overall from the French official.
What next?
BATE Borisov: The Belarusian league leaders return to domestic action next week when they host Gomel. Shakhtar Donetsk are the next side to visit the Borisov Arena in two weeks' time, meanwhile.
Athletic Bilbao: It does not get any easier for the out-of-form Basque side, who travel to face Real Madrid on the weekend.
Daniel Lewis
