Federico Valverde scored a spectacular stoppage-time volley to give Real Madrid a crucial 1-0 home victory over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, April 20th, keeping them within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Responding to their midweek Champions League elimination by Arsenal, Carlo Ancelotti’s side struggled for long periods to break down a well-organized and rotated Athletic Bilbao team, fresh from reaching the Europa League semi-finals.
After a largely uneventful first half, the game opened up slightly after the break. Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham saw a close-range header brilliantly saved by Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simón around the hour mark. Later, Vinícius Júnior had the ball in the net in the 79th minute, only for VAR to disallow the goal due to an offside against Endrick in the build-up.
Just as the match seemed destined for a frustrating draw, Valverde struck decisively three minutes into stoppage time. Seizing on a poor defensive clearance, the Uruguayan midfielder unleashed a powerful, swerving volley into the top corner, leaving Simón with no chance.
“Fede has a very unusual shot, a very good one,” said Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. “In training he easily does one or two like that a week. We’ve been telling him for years: ‘shoot, shoot’.”
Athletic Bilbao defender Alex Berenguer acknowledged the difficulty of playing at the Bernabéu: “We played well, we defended until the end, but we know what Real Madrid are like… they get you into the box and it’s difficult.”
The vital win moves Real Madrid to 69 points, maintaining the four-point gap behind leaders Barcelona (73 points) with six games remaining. The defeat leaves Athletic Bilbao fourth on 57 points, missing the chance to close the gap on third-placed Atletico Madrid (63 points).
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