Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid Review
Kylian Mbappé played a key role in all three goals as Real Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in La Liga, extending Los Blancos’ record to just one loss in their last seven head-to-head matches against the Lehoiak. In the early moments, Unai Simón made two quick saves to deny Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior following poor defending from his teammates. However, in the seventh minute, the goalkeeper was powerless to stop Mbappé, who received a pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold, skillfully evaded Iñigo Lekue, cut inside Aymeric Laporte, and fired the ball past Simón.
Gorka Guruzeta fired his shot over the bar from a Nico Williams cross as the home team looked for a reply, but Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior continued to threaten on the counterattack. Guruzeta then had a fierce attempt saved by Thibaut Courtois, who also made an excellent save to block Álex Berenguer around the 30-minute mark. Shortly after, Vinícius Júnior broke behind Bilbao’s defense twice but first struck the post from a tight angle and was then denied by Simón. Los Blancos managed to score their second goal before halftime when Alexander-Arnold’s cross was headed back across the goal by Mbappé for Eduardo Camavinga to finish with a header.
Valverde made two substitutions before the second half began, and although Mbappé had a shot within 30 seconds, it wasn’t long before Courtois had to tip over a daring effort from Mikel Jauregizar as the hosts continued to fight hard. Despite the goalkeeper’s efforts, Los Blancos suffered a setback when Alexander-Arnold was forced off injured in the 55th minute. Later, tensions flared between the two teams following an incident involving Mbappé and Adama Boiro, but the French forward remained unfazed and soon after scored a bold long-range shot past Simón.
Camavinga was forced to leave the game due to injury after attempting to continue following a challenge from Berenguer. However, Guruzeta missed his late chances as Real Madrid comfortably ended a streak of three consecutive draws in La Liga, keeping them just one point behind the leaders, Barcelona. Additionally, Real Madrid handed Athletic their fourth loss in their last six league games, leaving the home team in eighth place for the time being.
