Real Madrid once again stretched their lead over Barcelona to eight points after beating Athletic at the Bernabéu in a thick match in the first half and improved in the second, when Athletic got into the game. It was the night of Rodrygo, author of a double.
All the props seen on the grass were strange, if not downright grotesque. Madrid came out in purple, their fourth kit this season due to a commercial agreement with Adidas, which ordered the release of a new elastic from a Japanese designer. To add to the absurdity, Athletic, instead of using their usual red and white colors, played in white, the first time they played like this at the Bernabéu in a scenario (the white was not Madrid but the rival) that hurt the eyes and called for confusion.
For Madrid it was about taking a page off the calendar on the day they could not count on Vinícius, but they got Bellingham back after his two-game suspension. Ancelotti’s eleven was more or less as expected, with Brahim acting as Vinícius and Rodrygo Goes at the top, ultimately the hero of the match.
Athletic, who have the Cup final against Mallorca next Saturday in La Cartuja, gave the impression at the beginning that the match was more of a nuisance than anything else. Ernesto Valverde left Nico Williams in Bilbao, presumably due to muscle discomfort, and he also did not start with starters like Vivian (who came on after a quarter of an hour due to Yeray’s injury), Yuri, Ruiz de Galarreta or Unai Simón. Unlike the energy with which they displayed in San Mamés, they were a slow team for a long time, which played a lot of the game in the center and forgot the wings. In the entire first part I don’t believe a single occasion.
Madrid found themselves with a goal very early, in the seventh minute, an individual action by Rodrygo that he resolved with a shot into the top corner.
From there, he took a step back and waited for Athletic in their field, confident of closing the game on the counterattack. However, without Vinícius’ dizzying transitions, Madrid was limited to defending with order and little else. The game fell into boredom, from which it only emerged in the final minutes when, more by inertia than anything else, Madrid was able to score twice: in the 39th with a shot by Valverde that Julen repelled and then in the 43rd with a header from Tchouaméni that went off course.
The second half began with a shot from Brahim to the post and a reply from Athletic, a shot from Iñaki Willams that Lunin saved. Valverde made a triple substitution and Athletic improved and turned the game into a roadrunner.
Rodrygo took advantage of a counterattack in the 73rd minute and made it 2-0 after another good play with several cuts and a good finish. Then Muniain missed a goal that is remembered, but Athletic was already thinking more about their final. Militão returned for the last two minutes after breaking his cruciate in the summer. Good news for Ancelotti. The Bernabéu is already waiting for City, but that will be on April 9.
