At the Santiago Bernabe9u Stadium on Sunday, Real Madrid delivered a late thrill, beating Athletic Bilbao 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time volley from Federico Valverde. The dramatic winner keeps Real within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Real Madrid bounced back from their midweek Champions League exit at Arsenal, moving up to 69 points and extending a six-point gap over third-placed Atle9tico Madrid, who suffered a surprise 1-0 loss at Las Palmas.
A heavily rotated Athletic side frustrated the hosts for 90 minutes, until Valverde pounced on a loose clearance three minutes into added time, rifling a volley into the top corner. 'Fede has a very unusual shot, a very good one,' said goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. 'Wee28099ve been telling him: shoot, shoot.'
The match had nearly swung earlier when Vinicius Jr.'s low drive was ruled out by VAR for an offside in the buildup. Jude Bellingham also tested Athletic keeper Unai Simf3n with a close-range header shortly after the break, but Simf3n produced a top save.
Bilbao stayed disciplined at the back and reached the Europa League semifinals in midweek, yet struggled to create clear chances in La Liga. The late defeat leaves them fourth with 57 points, while Real eyes a title charge down the final stretch.
Other La Liga results on the day:
- Osasuna 3-2 Real Valladolid
- Villarreal 2-2 Real Sociedad
- Sevilla 1-1 Alave9s
With the title race tightening, Real Madrid and Barcelona are set to battle for supremacy as the season enters its climax.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
