Real Madrid had recovered its spirits. He had reasons for hope, again very close in the battle for the League. He had negotiated absences due to injury with three solid wins in the League. The team had a way forward, with collective struggle and commitment as leitmotiv in Ancelotti’s locker room. Everything was starting to fall into place. Until on the 19th day early and in San Mamés, one of the most difficult courses with an unbeatable atmosphere, the ghosts returned. Athletic brought down the house of cards of a subdued Madrid team with intensity, with another fateful night for Mbappé, who missed another penalty, and fell with goals from Berenguer and Guruzeta. A defeat that breaks a streak of 21 games without losing away from home, two away from Barça’s record in 2011.
The only new white player was Tchouaméni, already recovered from his injury. The youth player Asencio remained in the eleven, since the Frenchman was placed in the center of the field, which caused Brahim to be sacrificed and a forward that lost one force. Instead, Valverde introduced five changes to maintain the energy that characterizes the rojiblancos.
Mbappé missed a penalty, his second in a row, and Valverde missed Guruzeta’s winning goal
It was no surprise that the locals started revving up. The Athleticzales were spurred on by the public in every pressure and in every dangerous approach, the first a cross-shot from Nico Williams deflected by Courtois who was already waiting at the goal mouth, Iñaki, the eldest of the Williams. Madrid did not find relief even in the inconsequential passes between the centre-backs and the full-backs, at which point the Basque lions launched an ambush in search of possession of the ball. The whites began to come out of their cave in a play that ended in a goal disallowed by Mbappé due to a clear offside. Sánchez Martínez went to the VAR to review the play, but not to certify the Parisian’s position, but to analyze a non-existent penalty on Rodrygo.
For moments the Bilbao beast seemed asleep, with stretches of control without vertigo, the visitors locked in their field, and suddenly they woke up with a robbery after a loss that left Ancelotti’s men unguarded. Fran García gave the ball away and in two passes, the last a backheel from Iñaki Williams, Berenguer was left in a great position and shot wide. Athletic won on points, although without finishing any bursts, against a rival who had a hard time connecting several passes. Mbappé barely touched the ball in the first half, Rodrygo got lost between failed dribbles and Bellingham was one of the most outstanding before the break, but in defense, an unequivocal symptom of Madrid’s discomfort. Not a chance or a shot between the sticks in the opening 45 minutes.
The locals once again showed all their ferocity after the restart. The same script followed, without a hint of reaction or change of plan from Ancelotti. Athletic continued to press, seeking their own luck, and ended up finding the prize in a poisoned cross from Iñaki Williams. Sancet touched the ball, Courtois deflected it and Berenguer, stumbling, opened the scoring practically on the goal line.
Mbappé, at the moment he took the penalty that Agirrezabala saved.
Madrid was able to recover from the blow with a good chance that Mbappé missed with a weak shot at the doll . Agirrezabala later starred twice. First he overwhelmed Rüdiger inside the area, who headed the crossbar, and then he made up for it by deflecting the penalty to Mbappé, who missed his second shot in a row from the eleven meters after the missed one in Liverpool. The Frenchman does not raise his head.
The duel was a roadrunner in the final stretch. Madrid, with nothing to lose, went ahead and Athletic erred in haste, being very uncontrolled in the counterattacks. It was then that Mbappé tried it from a distance, Agirrezabala repelled the shot and Bellingham scored the rebound. With just over ten minutes remaining, everything pointed to a Madrid comeback, one more, but Guruzeta changed the scenario after cutting off a faulty pass from Valverde and beating Courtois in one-on-one. Madrid, with the entry of Brahim, Güler and Endrick, as well as with Rüdiger in offensive tasks, pressed until the final whistle confirmed that the whites are now four points behind the leader, Barça.
Technical sheet:
Athletic, 2 – Real Madrid, 1
Athletic Club: Agirrezabala; Gorosabel (De Marcos, m.79), Vivián, Yeray, Adama (Yuri, m.84); Jauregizar, Prados (Galarreta, m.63); Berenguer (Guruzeta, min.63), Sancet (Unai Gómez, m.79), Nico Williams; and Iñaki Williams.
Real Madrid: Courtois; Lucas Vázquez (Guler, m.88), Raúl Asencio, Rüdiger, Fran García (Mendy, m.70); Tchouaméni (Modric, m.70), Ceballos (Brahim, m.58), Valverde, Bellingham; Rodrygo (Endrick, m.88) and Mbappé.
Goals: 1-0, m.53: Berenguer. 1-1, m.78: Bellingham. 2-1, m.80: Guruzeta.
Referee: José María Sánchez Martínez (Murcia Committee). He showed a yellow card to the locals Agirrezabala (m.67) and Guruzeta (m.92), and to the visitors Tchouméni (m.70), Lucas Vázquez (m.72) and Bellingham (m.91).
Incidents: Early match of matchday 19 of LaLiga EA Sports played in San Mamés before 51,364 spectators. Official data. The fourth best entry in history in the new Bilbao field.
#San #Mamés #devours #Madrid
