Athletic Club vs Real Madrid: Player Ratings as Los Blancos Lose 2-1
Kylian Mbappe once again became the point of attention as the French superstar missed a penalty during Real Madrid's latest La Liga showdown against Athletic Club. Los Blancos had a chance to close the gap on Barcelona atop the win but squandered the opportunity to do so. Alejandro Brenguer Remiro (53') opened the scoring for Athletic Club.
Mbappe missed the chance to restore parity from 12 yards in the 68th minute. Jude Bellingham, however, converted in the 78th minute to make it all square. Bilbao regained the advantage soon as Gorka Guruzeta scored in the 80th minute of the match. Real Madrid remain second in the La Liga table with 33 points from 15 matches, trailing league leaders Barcelona by four points with a game in hand.
Here we take a look at the player ratings for Real Madrid from the match:
Thibaut Courtois- 6.5: Courtois made one save during the game, which was from inside the box. The Belgian shot-stopper completed 43 of his 57 passes. However, he conceded two goals and couldn't do much to keep those efforts at bay.
Lucas Vazquez- 6.5: Vazquez won five of his seven ground duels. He also made two clearances and completed 38 passes. However, he wasn't able to make the desired impact on proceedings. Overall, it was a lackluster display from the Spaniard.
Raul Asencio- 7: Raul Asencio impressed once again despite Real Madrid losing. He won three ground duels and as many aerial duels. Asencio also completed 71 of his 74 attempted passes. He completed two long balls as well and keeps on making the most of his opportunities.
Antonio Rudiger- 7.5: Rudiger was one of the rare bright spots for Real Madrid. He completed 81 passes and won all of his four ground duels. While Los Blancos conceded twice, the German defender showcased his quality.
Fran Garcia-7: Young Fran Garcia played 78 minutes against Athletic Club, making four clearances and winning three duels. He also completed 30 passes during the game but lost possession of the ball 17 times.
Fede Valverde-6.5: Not Valverde's most impressive outing. He completed 41 passes and won three duels. Valverde, however, lost possession of the ball 14 times and Real Madrid fans have seen better days from the Uruguayan.
Aurelien Tchouameni-6: Tchouameni completed 37 of his 38 attempted passes but didn't make much of an impact on the game. The France international was eventually hooked off for Luka Modric in the 71st minute.
Dani Ceballos-7: Ceballos put on an impressive shift in the midfield. He completed 54 passes with a 94% accuracy. Ceballos also made two interceptions, two tackles, and won two duels during the match.
Jude Bellingham-8: Jude Bellingham managed to shine despite the defeat, scoring Real Madrid's only goal in the match against Athletic Club. Apart from his goal, the English superstar completed 35 passes and won an impressive 12 duels during the match.
⚪️🏴 Jude Bellingham again! 4 goals and 2 assists in the last 4 games for Real Madrid 📈 pic.twitter.com/4kzEEnzqUg
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 4, 2024
Kylian Mbappe-6: Real Madrid biggest superstar continues to struggle. The Frenchman missed a penalty against Athletic Club, just as he did a week ago against Liverpool. He completed 22 passes and won four duels during the game. Mbappe also lost possession of the ball 14 times.
Rodrygo Goes-7.5: Rodrygo completed 34 passes, including four key passes against Athletic Bilbao and overall had an impressive display. The Brazilian forward was hooked off in the 88th minute for Endrick.
Substitutes:
Brahim Diaz- 7
Ferland Mendy- 6.5
Luka Modric- 7
Arda Guler- 7
Endrick- 6.5
🏁 @AthleticClub 2-1 @RealMadrid
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) December 4, 2024
⚽ 53' Berenguer
⚽ 78' @BellinghamJude
⚽ 80' Guruzeta#AthleticRealMadrid | @emirates pic.twitter.com/hlh7agaVhc
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Apratim is an experienced sports journalist having covered European and World Football, Combat Sports, Olympic Sports, and more for online media publications like Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. He is currently an MSc. in Sport Marketing student at Loughborough University, London.