Real Madrid appeared at San Mamés, one of the most demanding football venues, plagued by the doubts of and by the growth of Barcelona, which had solved its difficult situation the day before and had moved four points away at the top of the League. On that ledge where even Xabi Alonso seemed to begin to shiver, Madrid put together a wonderfully committed and intense performance at La Catedral, riding on Mbappé’s moment of extraordinary inspiration (two goals and an assist), Courtois’ impossible routine stops and the deadly aim of Trent’s long passes, who retired injured.
0
Unai Simón, Dani Vivian, Aymeric Laporte, Íñigo Lekue (Jesús Areso, min. 45), Adama Boiro, Mikel Jauregizar (Mikel Vesga, min. 68), Íñigo Ruíz de Galarreta (Unai Gómez, min. 45), Alex Berenguer (Nico Serrano, min. 68), Nico Williams (Selton Sánchez, min. 77), Alejandro Rego y Gorka Guruzeta.
3
Thibaut Courtois, Álvaro Carreras, Eder Military (Guanzalo García, Min. 77), Antonio Rüdiger, Trent Alexander-Arnold (Raul Asencio, Min. (Rodrygo, min. 77), Federico Valverde y Vicíicus Junior (Brahim Díaz, min. 77)
Goals
0-1 min. 6: Kyian Mbappe. 0-2 min. 41: Camavinga. 0-3 min. 58: Kyian Mbappe
Referee Jesus Gil Manzano
yellow cards
Berenguer (min. 65), Alejandro Rego (min. 75)
This is how he stayed hooked on the League and gained a few days of peace for his coach and for the growth of a still-floundering project, just a week before City’s fearsome visit to the Bernabéu.
In this context, Real responded with certainties of unusual solidity, without postponing the task in San Mamés. He looked different from the beginning, with intensity, determination and more speed in the circulation of the ball. They went for the match as Athletic usually does when they host the whites, a big day in Bilbao. Xabi’s team had all the switches up, with more conviction than other afternoons, with fewer doubts and insubstantial detours in the center of the field. The light used to go out there and Tchouameni seemed to wander around in circles, indecisive and uninspired. This time he did not have the company of Güler, who started on the bench, but rather that of Camavinga, very attentive to the cut and always looking forward, without entanglements.
Xabi’s platoon appeared at La Catedral with a more direct version that sought to squeeze nuclear power from the beginning into the space of Mbappé and Vinicius, who are tuning into the same frequency. In this context, the angelic foot constitutes an unbeatable shortcut. The Englishman opened the box of tricks and began crossing tele-directed deliveries from the right wing behind the Athletic defense. In this way, he skipped that knot that Madrid often makes for itself in the center and left Ernesto Valverde’s team without time to back down and plug the cracks.
Mbappé caught one of those shipments like someone who catches a floating butterfly and took off wildly towards Unai Simón, a burst of controlled power. With two dry dribbles he stood at the crown of the area, unleashed a right foot and scored. The goalkeeper of the Spanish team, who had just won a one-on-one against the Frenchman, was not enough. Trent’s diagonal route promised so much that Militão was also encouraged, leaving Vinicius alone against Unai. The Brazilian tried low, but the goalkeeper reached with the hook.
Athletic was a spectator at home, a place where it always acts as the protagonist, particularly when it receives Madrid. But Xabi’s team punished the back more than ever and barely left any loose threads. Although when they appeared, the red-and-whites grabbed onto them and began to grow. Fede Valverde made a mistake in an exit and Guruzeta found himself with Courtois’s first great stop. Athletic finally got involved in the duel and Berenguer found himself one-on-one with the Belgian goalkeeper, who deployed himself in a giant cross and deactivated the attempt.
While Xabi continues trying to make the mechanism work, he has two guys who live a world apart, on a level far from general reach. Courtois, illuminated in his goal; Mbappé on the contrary. The Frenchman assisted Camavinga with a header to make it 0-2 after Trent, again the Englishman’s right foot, found him at the far post.
The passer and Camavinga, very fine, however, could not finish the game. Trent left with discomfort in his left thigh and the Frenchman, with problems in the ankle of that leg, two worrying setbacks.
The one who doesn’t go wrong is Mbappé, who last year felt like he was hitting rock bottom in San Mamés, where everything was now working out for him. He tried from 27 meters, slightly tilted to the left, and hit the Athletic net again. Madrid had resolved a commitment with much more margin than expected. So much so that Xabi immediately gave minutes to Rodrygo, Brahim and Gonzalo, who came in for Mbappé, Vinicius and Militão. A huge respite in a crude scenario to bury the November collapse.
