We were unable to mark our first-ever visit to the new Estadio San Mamés with points as a disappointing afternoon in the Basque Country ended with a 3-1 loss.
Vicente Moreno made two changes to the side which lost 2-0 at Real Madrid, swapping Ante Budimir with Cucho Hernández as the lone striker and introducing Salva Sevilla in preference to Aleix Febas.
Having spent the prior two days on the outskirts of Bilbao using the facilities of Tercera División side SD Zamudio due to consecutive away fixtures in less than 72 hours, we hit the ground running with early chances for Lago Junior.
However, the Ivorian was unlucky to concede a penalty in the 14th minute when he clipped the heel of Raul Garcia’s diagonal run at the far post. The striker then stepped up to convert past an outstretched Manolo Reina and give the hosts the lead.
Things when from bad to worse in the 24th minute when Oihan Sancet put the finishing touch a worked corner routine to double Athletic Club de Bilbao’s advantage.
Down but not out as we pressed to pull a goal back, Dani Rodríguez forced Unai Simón to react quickly with a deflected drive from the edge of the box, while Salva Sevilla couldn’t get a late free-kick on target as we headed into the break with it all to do.
Succeeding a restart of few opportunities for either side despite the introduction of Ante Budimir, Reina had to be at his best to blocks Sancet’s poke at goal from close range.
It was fellow substitute Aleksandar Trajkovkski who would ultimately hand our side a lifeline, winning a penalty from Yuri with some clever footwork. Budimir was handed the responsibility, and despite a brief review of VAR, the Croatian held his nerve to tee up a tense remaining 20 minutes.
With pressure mounting on the hosts as Moreno's reinvigorated side continued to press, Dani Rodríguez thought he had found a late leveller when his long-range effort just skimmed the far post by a matter of inches.
As we chased what would have been a dramatic equaliser, Athletic Club de Bilbao ended any hope of sharing the points when Asier Villalibre poked home inside the box moments before added time.
The result leaves us with three days to prepare for a must-win clash with relegation rivals Celta Vigo at the bottom of the table as we look to bounce back from a disappointing defeat.
RCD Mallorca: Reina, Pozo, Valjent (87’), Raillo, Sedlar, Baba (46’), Salva Sevilla, Lago Junior (58’), Dani Rodríguez, Take. Cucho (68’)
Substitutes: Parera, Jesus Ruiz, Sastre, Señé, Xisco Campos, Abdón (68’), Gámez (87’), Trajkovski (58’), Chavarria, Budimir (46’), Febas, Luka
Athletic Bilbao: Unai Simón, I. Martínez, Yuri B, Capa, Yeray, Oihan Sancet (75’), Unai López (84’), Muniain (62’), Dani García, Raúl García (84’), Williams (75’
Substitutes: Herrerín, Núñez, San José, Córdoba (62’), Gaizka Larrazabal, Lekue, Vesga (84’), De Marcos (75’), Ibai, Kenan Kodro (84’), Balenziaga, Villalibre (75’)
Goals: Raúl Garcīa, 1-0 (16’); Oihan Sancet, 2-0 (24’), 2-1, Ante Budimir, 2-1 (70’), Asier Villalibre, 3-1 (90’)
