Real Madrid 1 – 0 Athletic Club
Carlo Ancelotti’s men cut the gap with Barcelona back to four points after a hard-fought victory over Athletic Club.
After a dull first half, Real Madrid unleashed waves of attacks but couldn’t find the breakthrough they desperately needed. As frustration grew and the fear of dropped points loomed, Federico Valverde stepped up in stoppage time with a stunning goal to hand Madrid a much-needed win.
This was Los Blancos’ first match since their Champions League quarterfinal exit, and they managed to bounce back with a narrow 1-0 win at Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday night in La Liga.
With 21 wins and 6 draws from 32 games, Real now sit second with 69 points, while Barcelona lead the table with 73 points from the same number of matches.
In the first half, Madrid managed just one shot on target from five attempts. After the break, they fired 17 more shots, with six on target, while Bilbao could only muster three shots all game—just one of which tested the keeper.
Due to suspension, Kylian Mbappé was unavailable, but the World Cup winner was seen in the stands supporting his teammates at the Bernabéu.
Despite dominating possession early on, Madrid struggled to create clear chances. Aside from Vinícius Júnior, most of the team looked short of pace and intensity.
In the 28th minute, Vinícius showed brilliant pace to evade two defenders and let fly from outside the box, only for the ball to sail just over the bar. In the 36th minute, Valverde headed a Luka Modrić corner straight at the goalkeeper.
Rodrygo came close in the 48th minute with a low angled shot that narrowly missed the far post. Two minutes later, Eduardo Camavinga surged from midfield, beat two defenders, and fired a shot that Unai Simón parried for a corner.
In the 58th minute, Ancelotti replaced Dani Ceballos with young Brazilian forward Endrick. Just a minute later, Thibaut Courtois was tested for the first time, blocking a low shot from Unai Gómez.
Vinícius nearly broke the deadlock in the 61st minute with a brilliant cross that Jude Bellingham met with a diving header—only for Simón to tip it over. Moments later, another Bellingham header off a corner skimmed past the post. In the 67th minute, Valverde’s shot hit the side netting.
In the 79th minute, Vinícius found the net from a tight angle after receiving the ball on the left, but the goal was disallowed as Endrick was offside during the build-up. After a long VAR check, the referee confirmed the decision.
Then, in the third minute of added time, Valverde delivered. After Bilbao failed to clear the ball inside their box, the Uruguayan took it under control with his first touch and smashed a right-footed volley past the keeper at the far post. The Bernabéu erupted in celebration.
