Athletic Club vs Real Madrid: Under Par Los Blancos Lose 2-1, Stay Four Points Behind Barcelona
Real Madrid stayed four points behind Barcelona in second place with a game in hand on their rivals after losing 2-1 to Athletic Club.
Carlo Ancelotti's team will rue Federico Valverde's uncharacteristic mistake just two minutes after drawing level. In fairness, Los Blancos were second best in the game, unable to deal with the aggressive pressure from the home team.
It took Real Madrid some time to settle in the first half. Under the aggressive press from Athletic Club, they gave the ball away numerous times. Young center-back Raul Asencio was called into action twice, making last-ditch tackles to deny chances for the home team.
Los Blancos had a disallowed goal from Kylian Mbappe, ruled offside, and had a penalty declined by VAR in the first 20 minutes. The best chance of the first 45 minutes fell to Athletic's Alex Berenguer, who fired over when he should have done better.
The second half exploded to life early when Inaki Williams whipped a wicked ball in that goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois could only parry back out, and Alex Berenguer bundled it into the net.
ATHLETIC CLUB TAKE THE LEAD OVER REAL MADRID!
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 4, 2024
WHAT A BALL INAKI WILLIAMS! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/FrKgaYfbTt
It took Real Madrid over 60 minutes to get into the game. They were handed an opportunity to level the game after a penalty was awarded for a foul by the Athletic Club goalkeeper on Antonio Rudiger.
Mbappe stepped up but saw his penalty saved. It was his second consecutive miss from the spot and was a tame effort, similar to the miss against Liverpool.
Heading into the final 15 minutes, Real Madrid had their first bit of consistent pressure, and they got their reward in the 79th minute when Bellingham smashed a shot home after Mbappes' shot was saved. However, two minutes later, a costly Federico Valverde mistake sent Gorka Guruzeta through on goal, and he made it 2-1.
JUDE BELLINGHAM GETS THE REBOUND AND MADRID FIND THE EQUALIZER 💥 pic.twitter.com/cvyDQTjG7U
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 4, 2024
Los Blancos tried to push for an equalizer but couldn't create any significant chances, as Athletic Club recorded their first win over Real Madrid since 2015.
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