Valverde's decisive late goal secures a home victory for Real against Bilbao
Real Madrid's Federico Valverde struck a stunning late volley to clinch a 1-0 home victory against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, keeping them just four points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona. After their midweek exit from the UEFA Champions League...
TroibNews 
Real Madrid's Federico Valverde struck a stunning late volley to clinch a 1-0 home victory against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, keeping them just four points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona.
After their midweek exit from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Arsenal, Real bounced back with this win, bringing their points total to 69 and placing them six points ahead of third-placed Atletico Madrid, who suffered an unexpected 1-0 defeat to Las Palmas on Saturday.
A significantly rotated Athletic team managed to hold off the hosts until Valverde found the net three minutes into stoppage time, capitalizing on a poor clearance to send a volley into the far top corner.
"Fede has a very unusual shot, a very good one," said Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. "Yesterday in training he kicked a ball that looked like it was going wide and suddenly it took a spin and you think... How did you kick that? It's very sharp, fast and powerful. In training he easily does one or two like that a week. We've been telling him for years: 'shoot, shoot.'"
Vinicius Jr. believed he had given Real the lead with a low shot, but his effort in the 79th minute was disallowed by the video assistant referee due to an offside by Endrick in the buildup.
The first half was relatively uneventful, but Jude Bellingham had Real's first clear scoring opportunity with a close-range header. However, goalkeeper Unai Simon produced an impressive save in the 60th minute to keep the match scoreless.
Fresh off their progress to the Europa League semifinals, Athletic displayed a disciplined defensive performance, frustrating Real for a significant portion of the match, although they themselves struggled to create legitimate scoring chances.
The late defeat leaves Athletic in fourth place in the standings with 57 points.
"We played well, we defended until the end, but we know what Real Madrid are like at the Bernabeu," said Athletic's Alex Berenguer to reporters. "I think the team responded well. Whoever plays, we do well, but they are a great team and they get you into the box and it's difficult."
Anna Muller contributed to this article for TROIB News
After their midweek exit from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Arsenal, Real bounced back with this win, bringing their points total to 69 and placing them six points ahead of third-placed Atletico Madrid, who suffered an unexpected 1-0 defeat to Las Palmas on Saturday.
A significantly rotated Athletic team managed to hold off the hosts until Valverde found the net three minutes into stoppage time, capitalizing on a poor clearance to send a volley into the far top corner.
"Fede has a very unusual shot, a very good one," said Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. "Yesterday in training he kicked a ball that looked like it was going wide and suddenly it took a spin and you think... How did you kick that? It's very sharp, fast and powerful. In training he easily does one or two like that a week. We've been telling him for years: 'shoot, shoot.'"
Vinicius Jr. believed he had given Real the lead with a low shot, but his effort in the 79th minute was disallowed by the video assistant referee due to an offside by Endrick in the buildup.
The first half was relatively uneventful, but Jude Bellingham had Real's first clear scoring opportunity with a close-range header. However, goalkeeper Unai Simon produced an impressive save in the 60th minute to keep the match scoreless.
Fresh off their progress to the Europa League semifinals, Athletic displayed a disciplined defensive performance, frustrating Real for a significant portion of the match, although they themselves struggled to create legitimate scoring chances.
The late defeat leaves Athletic in fourth place in the standings with 57 points.
"We played well, we defended until the end, but we know what Real Madrid are like at the Bernabeu," said Athletic's Alex Berenguer to reporters. "I think the team responded well. Whoever plays, we do well, but they are a great team and they get you into the box and it's difficult."
Anna Muller contributed to this article for TROIB News
