Benzema, always Benzema. The Real Madrid forward took the measure of Athletic. In the last league he scored two goals at San Mamés in the first five minutes. This time, after two previous choices, the Frenchman upset the balance midway through the first half with another goal from home.
The bold proposal of the lions again jumped into the air at an inopportune moment. Valverde’s men pressed well early on, but they gradually stumbled against a solid opponent at the back and had enough possession to combine and trouble Unai Simón at times. 0-1 made his job easy.
The rojiblancos, meanwhile, worked on impulse. The clash needed a twist and it came with the simultaneous inclusion of Muniain, Ander Herrera and Guruzeta. The whites struggled, badly at times, from then on, but nobody in the home side scored. Kross, who had been on the grass for almost five minutes, took a breath from the final whistle.
Valverde faced the visit of Real Madrid with almost the same starting team that had just knocked Espanyol out of the Cup. Unai Simón regained his place under the sticks at the expense of Agirrezabala, Paredes acted as the axis of the defense in place of the suspended Yeray and up front Iñaki Williams was placed at center forward in place of Guruzeta. The lions knew in advance that a victory against the meringues would return them to the European zone.
Ancelotti, with a good taste left by his team in the second half of the KO tournament clash a few days earlier in Villarreal, inserted Ceballos and Marcos Asensio in his eleven for Kroos and Rodrygo, respectively. Modric remained on the bench. The people of Madrid also know the victory of Barça against Getafe.
Athletic started quickly, but it was Benzema who opened the battle with a left-footed shot that rose high. Paredes forced Courtoi to produce an accurate header. Pressure from Bilbao also produced a good individual action by Nico Williams with a slightly deflected shot. Paredes immediately avoided another close shot from Benzema.
The visitors’ football control began to shake as the minutes passed. The meringues opened up the field with a constant change of play from wing to wing and hit the target shortly after a counterattack that Iñaki Williams failed to finish. Benzema, at the third attempt, opened the scoring with a house-mark shot midway through the first half. 0-1 clipped the wings of an Athletic that began to lack the ball, ideas and arguments that appeared in attack.
The team from Bilbao started the second half quickly, but Madrid managed to put the game to sleep with long possessions and tackles on the wing. Nacho and Marcos Asensio had their options. Valverde, knowing the situation, decided to bring Ander Herrera, Muniain and Guruzeta at the same time. Athletic improved from there.
Shortly after, Nico Williams had rojiblanca’s best chance of the night, but finished wide. Minutes later, with Modric and Lekue already on the field, Iñaki Williams beat Courtois. The goal, however, was disallowed for Guruzeta’s past offside. Paredes, in a head extension, also had his option. Raúl García is Valverde’s last bullet. Rodrygo and Kroos, Valverde’s. Both players proved the visit to victory on the side of 90 with a goal from the German on a pass from the Brazilian.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
