- Rodrygo Goes’ brace secured the victory for Real Madrid on Sunday.
- The victory maintains Real Madrid’s eight-point lead at the top of La Liga.
- Jude Bellingham and Brahim also put in impressive performances during the win.
A brace from Rodrygo Goes secured an impressive 2-0 win for Real Madrid over Athletic Club in La Liga on Sunday evening.
The Brazilian star opened the scoring in remarkable fashion inside the opening ten minutes, blasting the ball into the top corner of the net. Later in the second half, he calmly slipped the ball into the bottom left corner to secure the win for Madrid.
The win brings Real Madrid closer to the La Liga title, with Los Blancos now sitting eight points clear of Barcelona heading into the final eight gameweeks of the 2023/24 season.
How the game unfolded
It took Real Madrid until the seventh minute to penetrate the final third, but when they did, they took the lead in spectacular fashion. Rodrygo Goes received a pass from Brahim Diaz, maneuvered inwards from the left, and elegantly curled the ball into the far top corner of the net.
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After taking the lead, Madrid controlled proceedings with impressive ease, keeping Athletic Club pinned back into their defensive third.
Los Blancos came close to doubling their lead on two occasions before the half-time whistle. The first chance fell to Federico Valverde, who forced Julen Agirrezabala into a smart save at his near post with a volleyed effort. The second opportunity saw Aurelien Tchouameni head a Toni Kroos corner kick just wide.
The home side came even closer to making it 2-0 a few minutes into the second half when Rodrygo played a defense-splitting pass into the path of Brahim on the right side of the penalty box. However, with just the goalkeeper to beat, the former Manchester City youngster struck the ball off the post and wide of danger.
Madrid were almost made to pay for those misses soon after, as Inaki Williams forced Andriy Lunin into a fantastic save with a volleyed effort from just eight yards out.
As the game opened up late, Carlo Ancelotti’s side began to find more joy in the offensive third and eventually scored their second goal in the 73rd minute. Once again, Rodrygo was the scorer. After receiving the ball on the left side from Jude Bellingham, he cut past a defender before calmly slotting into the bottom left corner of the net.
There was another moment of jubilation for Madrid fans before the final whistle, as Eder Militao made his return off the bench after a lengthy layoff due to an ACL injury.
Real Madrid player ratings
GK: Andriy Lunin – 7/10 – Made a fantastic save to deny Inaki Williams at the start of the second half.
RB: Dani Carvajal – 6/10 – Another decent offensive outing from the veteran full-back.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – 6/10 – Had little defensive work to do.
CB: Nacho Fernandez – 6/10 – Distributed the ball well throughout the game.
LB: Ferland Mendy – 6/10 – Maintained possession effectively, completing 94% of his passes.
CM: Federico Valverde – 6/10 – Got into the final third and worked hard defensively.
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni – 6/10 – Came close to doubling Madrid’s lead and performed well in midfield.
CM: Toni Kroos – 6/10 – Demonstrated typical accuracy with 92% pass completion.
AM: Jude Bellingham – 7/10 – Assisted the second goal and caused problems for Athletic Club.
ST: Brahim Diaz – 7/10 – Provided a spark in Madrid’s attack, setting up a goal and hitting the post.
ST: Rodrygo Goes – 9/10 – His two stunning goals secured the win for Los Blancos.
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