Carlo Ancelotti’s team missed a crucial opportunity to narrow the gap with Barcelona at the top of La Liga, suffering a frustrating 2-1 loss to Athletic Club at a lively San Mamés on Wednesday.
Kylian Mbappé endured another tough outing, missing his second consecutive penalty and delivering an underwhelming performance. While Jude Bellingham kept Real Madrid in contention with his fourth goal in as many league matches, defensive lapses proved costly for Los Blancos.
The match began with Athletic Club dominating early chances, while Madrid struggled to create meaningful opportunities. Mbappé came close with a deflected effort that found the net but was disallowed for offside. Federico Valverde also wasted a promising free-kick, sending it well over the crossbar.
Athletic broke the deadlock early in the second half when Thibaut Courtois deflected a dangerous ball directly into Alex Berenguer’s path, allowing him to tap in from close range. Mbappé had the chance to equalize from the spot, but his penalty—his second miss in a week—was saved by backup goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala, leaving Madrid unable to recover.
Bellingham made up for his team-mate’s mistake, turning home from close-range to level the scores with 12 minutes remaining. A signature Madrid comeback seemed to be on, but Athletic responded immediately, with Gorka Guruzeta taking advantage of a Valverde error and finishing past Courtois.
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Goalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (5/10):
Made a couple of important saves, but his mistake led to the Athletic opener.
Lucas Vazquez (6/10):
Ran a lot, kept Nico Williams quiet, but his final pass was missing.
Raul Asencio (6/10):
Made a couple of vital defensive interventions in the first half. Done for pace on the Athletic winner.
Antonio Rudiger (6/10):
Won the Madrid penalty, kept things tidy defensively.
Fran Garcia (7/10):
Put in some really excellent defensive work. Unlucky to be subbed.
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Aurelien Tchouameni (5/10):
Good to have him back as a presence, but he was really sloppy at times. A mixed 70 minutes.
Federico Valverde (5/10):
Blasted a fre- kick miles over the bar in his only real action of the first half. Really good in the second until he gave the ball away to gift Athletic the winner – a rare costly mistake.
Dani Ceballos (5/10):
As tidy as usual with the ball, but lacking in imagination. Deservedly removed on the hour.
Jude Bellingham (8/10):
Was everywhere on the pitch—driving forward, tracking back, and scoring Madrid’s only goal. While he may not hit 20 goals this season, Bellingham has been quietly outstanding in recent matches.
Rodrygo (5/10):
Moved around a lot but failed to make a significant impact. Still doesn’t seem to have a strong connection with Mbappé.
Kylian Mbappe (3/10):
Found the net in the first half, but the goal was rightly ruled out for offside. Missed yet another penalty, capping off a truly miserable evening.
Brahim Diaz (5/10):
Darted into space, tried to make things happen, but never in the right area to deliver.
Ferland Mendy (6/10):
A confusing sub, although he didn’t do much wrong.
Luka Modric (5/10):
Looked off the pace, in truth. A bit too frantic for him.
Endrick (N/A):
Too little, too late.
Arda Guler (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Carlo Ancelotti (4/10):
Ancelotti fielded his strongest lineup, allowing his two forwards some positional freedom, but it wasn’t enough. Real Madrid were largely outplayed, with defensive mistakes and yet another missed penalty sealing their fate. It was another day to forget for Los Blancos.