Sports

Athletic Club Bilbao survived late pressure to beat visiting Osasuna 1-0 for only their second victory of the campaign ahead of the Spanish league break. play Belarus in Minsk on Oct. 12 and host France at the Calderon in Madrid on Oct. 16.

Aritz Aduriz netted the only goal of an entertaining game in the 12th minute to lift the Basque club to 16th on eight points and leave the relegation zone.

The win also gives the struggling Basques some fresh air after a winless streak and too may problems out of the field.

Just this last week, the Lions, last season's beaten finalist, lost their Europa League game against Sparta Prague to slump to the bottom of Group I.

Before the game, Athletic Club Bilbao's troubled season had hit a new low when a talk between coach Marcelo Bielsa and the players being defeated at the Europa League game and King's cup final was leaked to the press.

Apparently, a player recorded the conversation using a mobile phone and yesterday morning it hit the headlines ahead of the Sparta Prague game. The conversation enhances the work of Bielsa as a coach but is a sign that someone is trying to destabilize the Basque club.