Travelling Gooners here at the now empty San Mames sing: “You’ve Only Come To See The Arsenal” after the Gunners hard-fought 2-0 win over Atheltic Club here in Bilbao

FT: Athletic Club 0-2 Arsenal. Late goals from subs Gabi Martinelli and Leo Trossard guide Gunners to victory here at a fevered San Mames in Bilbao. See @M_Star_Online newspaper and my @SubstackInc Layth’s Take for my Champions League reaction from here in the Basque Country

The jubilant Arsenal support high up in the gods at the San Mames are having a whale of a time

The Arsenal fans sing: Trossard Again/Ole Ole Ole

Six minutes added time announced

Goal! Athletic Club 0-2 Arsenal. Leo Trossard doubles the Gunners lead in the 87th minute as loyal travelling Gooners celebrate wildly here at the raucous San Mames in Bilbao

GOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!!

GOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!!

Goal! Athletic Club 0-1 Arsenal. Gabi Martinelli powers through to finish past Unai Simon with aplomb to give the Gunners the lead with on 72 minutes here at the San Mames

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL

70 - Substitution: Gabi Martinelli replaces Eze

65 - Arsenal substitution: Viktor Gyokeres with Leandro Trossard

65 - CHANCE - An Arsenal header is saved by Unai Simon in the Athletic goal

63 - Noni Madueke takes the ball down on his thigh. You don't see enough of that particular skill for my liking these days...

59 - Noni Madueke jinks past his man only to produce a weak chip to Unai Simon at the near post. The Arsenal attacker is looking lively even if the end product is still slightly awry

To be fair I don't think I've ever heard whistles as loud as the ones coming from the Athletic fans here at a raucous San Mames during their Champions League clash vs Arsenal. Genuinely ear-splitting. To paraphrase Blackadder: "Some sort of earplugs may be in order..."

Arsenal pressure the home side as ear-splitting whistles ring out around the San Mames

51- CHANCE - Noni Madueke powers through to test Athletic keeper Unai Simon at the near post

47 - CHANCE - Viktor heads wide with the goal at his mercy from Declan Rice's free-kick.

HT: Athletic Club 0-0 Arsenal. Not a great opening 45 minutes to be honest, but I think you'd settle in taking a point from the fevered San Mames right now given the Gunners lack of cutting edge so far

Three minutes added time announced

43 - chance - Athletic's Alex Berenguer whips the ball across the Arsenal goal but thankfully for Gunners fans no one gets on the end of it. Thought to be fair Robert Navarro could have had a tap in at the back post if he'd been braver. Oihan Sancet was also in the box looking for a cut-back.

It was Athletic's Dani Vivian who went in strongly on Eberechi Eze

Eze comng in for some rough treatment as he tries to beat his man

30 - Gabriel and Viktor Gyokeres collide attempting to guide Declan Rice's free-kick into the Athletic Club half. It looks like there is there is blood streaming from Gyokeres' head as the Arsenal medical staff treat the Gunners striker

With half an hour gone the score remains Athletic Club 0-0 Arsenal at the passionate San Mames

FYI: Did you know the last non-Basque player for Athletic was Englishman Andrew Veitch, who played for the team in a friendly in 1911.

This is Athletic Club's first appearance on the Champions League stage since 2014-15 - with the entire stadium decked out in red and white. It's like Sunderland on acid

Ok, one more stat from the BBC: Arsenal are the first non-Spanish team to name four Spaniards in their starting XI for a Champions League game against Spanish opposition (Raya, Mosquera, Merino, Zubimendi) since Chelsea-Barcelona in February 2018 (Alonso, Azpilicueta, Pedro, Fabregas).

ICYMI: The Gunners are wearing their blue away shirts inside the cauldron that is the San Mames, while the hosts are decked out in their traditional red and white.

One final stat I promise: Arsenal registered 82.6% possession in the opening five minutes - but the majority of that has been from inside their own half...needless to say Athletic have rallied since then

Here's a decent stat for you from the BBC: Athletic Club are the first Spanish side to start a Champions League game with 11 players who have never played Champions League football before since Real Madrid in September 1995...told you it was a good one...

ICYMI: Declan Rice brings down Mikel Jauregizar on the edge of the Arsenal box - with the England man shown an early yellow card...

25 minutes gone and Athletic are very much in the ascendancy even if Arsenal are holding firm

Here's a stat: Arsenal have conceded just 18 goals in 24 Champions League matches under Mikel Arteta...

ICYMI: The Arsenal bench is as follows: Arrizabalaga, Saliba, Hincapié, Martinelli, Norgaard, Trossard, Nwaneri, Setford, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman

ICYMI: The Arsenal team is as follows: Raya; Timber, Calafiori, Gabriel (c), Mosquera, Zubimendi, Rice, Merino, Gyokeres, Madueke, Eze

Hello, and welcome to our coverage of Athletic Club vs Arsenal in the first match of the Champions League, er, league stages for the 2025-26 season

Hello, and welcome to our coverage of Athletic Club vs Arsenal in the first match of the Champions League, er, league stages for the 2025-26 season