Athletic Bilbao and BATE Borisov squared up at the San Mames Stadium in Group H of the Champions League, with both teams still looking to earn third spot and claim Europa League qualification.
The Basque club turned out eventual winners on the night after a poor first half of football, thanks to goals from Mikel San Jose and Markel Susaeta who lit up proceedings in the second period of the game.
Here, Sports Mole rates all of the players involved in the action in Spain.
ATHLETIC BILBAO
Goal
Gorka Iraizoz: Had barely anything to do in the game. Did well to recover and clear when Mikel San Jose sold him short in the final few minutes of the match. (7/10)
Defence
Andoni Iraola: Fantastic performance from the Bilbao captain. Got down the flank at every opportunity and also put in some great crosses, especially in the first half. (7/10)
Mikel San Jose: Sturdy at the back and worked well alongside a young centre-back partner. Great finish for the goal too and showed fantastic anticipation to move clear of his marker. (8/10)
Aymeric Laporte: Strong showing from the 20-year-old defender. Made two crucial interceptions and also had promising movement when playing the offside trap. (7/10)
Mikel Balenziaga: Didn't see too much of the left-back. Ensured that nobody caused too many problems down his side of the pitch and ventured forward on the odd occasion. (6/10)
Midfield
Ander Iturraspe: Quiet first half and could have done more to move his side into a higher gear earlier on. Got better in the second half and played some rather dangerous balls in behind the BATE defence. (6/10)
Rico Moreno: Strong first half from the anchorman. Went close with a decent shot from distance and also tried to drive his side forward. (7/10)
Markel Susaeta: Was all over the pitch from start to finish. The best passer on the pitch and also did lots of defensive work. Took his goal with class. (9/10)
Oscar de Marcos: Full-back got his chance as a progressive midfielder and failed to deliver. Made one good move in the first period, but faded as the game wore on. (6/10)
Ibai Gomez: Energetic showing from the young winger. Tormented BATE down the left and turned in a number of good crosses. Should have maybe left the game with at least one goal for himself. (8/10)
Attack
Guillermo: Striker produced some encouraging movement and positioning inside the box, but his accuracy and finishing were poor all night. (6/10)
Substitutes
Aritz Aduriz: Came on quite late in the fixture and didn't have too much of an impact as his side looked to shut out for victory. (6/10)
Borja Viguera: Was involved in the second goal having been on the pitch for just a few seconds. Clinical vision to pick out the unmarked Susaeta. (7/10)
BATE BORISOV
Goal
Artem Soroko: Fantastic performance on his Champions League debut. Made a number of good stops as he was bombarded in the second half. (8/10)
Defence
Edhar Alyakhnovich: Fairly ineffectual as his side failed to keep hold of the ball. Worked hard in defence, but didn't offer much the other way. Looked troubled by Gomez. (6/10)
Egor Filipenko: Had a strong first half and made some great interceptions to prevent Bilbao from cruising within the first 30 minutes of the match. (7/10)
Nemenja Tubic: Could do little to shut out Bilbao as they hit 28 shots in the game. Did his best against an opposition far beyond the quality in his team. (6/10)
Anri Khagush: Much like for Alyakhnovich, the game failed to supply him with many opportunities to get forward. (6/10)
Midfield
Aleksandr Volodko: Endless running but very little chance of even having an impact on the game. Outclassed by Bilbao. (6/10)
Evgeni Yablonski: Youngster found it tough going in the middle of the pitch and was second to most balls, despite his relentless running. Could have been sent off for a second yellow at several points too. (6/10)
Mikhail Gordeychuk: Barely touched the ball in an attacking sense, but did well to beat his marker when the chance came. Worked hard in defence too and covered a lot of ground. (6/10)
Aleksandr Karnitski: Confined very much to the centre of the pitch and couldn't do much to stop the Basque tide. Again, like his teammates, he worked tirelessly throughout. (6/10)
Maksim Volodko: Found the game hard going and was eventually subbed in the 60th minute as the visitors sought more numbers in attack. (6/10)
Attack
Vitali Rodionov: Captain didn't stop running but it proved to no avail as he was both outnumbered and ill-supported up top. (6/10)
Substitutes
Mikalay Signevich: The additional striker gave BATE a bit more presence in attack, but the gamble failed as they surrendered even more possession. (6/10)
Dmitri Baga: Came on to replace Yablonski late on and had very little to do other than chase a constantly moving football. (6/10)
No Data Analysis info
