Carlo Ancelotti's side needed late heroics once again to stay within four points of leaders Barcelona at the top of the table
Federico Valverde blasted home a stoppage-time winner to salvage victory for a largely frustrated Real Madrid as they beat Athletic Club 1-0 on Sunday. Los Blancos looked certain to settle for a point on the back of another disappointing performance in forward areas, but Valverde's volley – another magical strike in his fine catalogue – did enough to keep Madrid in La Liga's race.
Carlo Ancelotti's side were remarkably poor in the first half, and had few ideas in the final third, meaning it took nearly 50 minutes for them to create a good chance. Eduardo Camavinga was the one who had it, seeing a shot well denied by Unai Simon after a fluid counter-attack. Jude Bellingham then went close on the hour mark, getting on the end of a Vinicius Jr trivela pass and forcing a clever save.
Vinicius thought he had won it with 10 minutes remaining after a cut, weave and tidy near-post finish – but his clever strike was ruled out after substitute Endrick was adjudged offside in the build-up. Bellingham also had a golden chance to find a winner at the death, but poked over the bar after a clever touch in the box.
But Valverde eventually provided the big moment, lashing a volley into the top corner in the 93rd minute to keep Madrid within four points of leaders Barcelona with a crucial Clasico still to come before the end of the campaign.
GOAL rates Madrid's players from Santiago Bernabeu…
AFPGoalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (6/10):
Bar one second-half save, could have spent the rest of the game sleeping, in all honesty. Will take the clean sheet, though.
Federico Valverde (8/10):
Absolutely tireless on the right wing. Defended well, came close to scoring all night, and then bashed one in. Wonderful.
Raul Asencio (6/10):
Made a couple of nice recoveries, and was caught in an intriguing duel with substitute Sannadi in the second half.
Antonio Rudiger (7/10):
Won his headers, kept his cool, and shepherded the backline.
Eduardo Camavinga (6/10):
Kept it pretty simple at the back. Didn't have much to do until Inaki Williams came on.
AdvertisementAFPMidfield
Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):
Won more tackles than anyone else, and showed a bit more ball progression than in recent weeks.
Dani Ceballos (6/10):
A tidy hour. Completed the most passes out of everyone on the pitch before he was replaced.
Luka Modric (7/10):
Created the most chances in the match, and made it all look very good. Slower contests suit him so much more these days.
Jude Bellingham (6/10):
Not really in the game until late on, when he missed a couple of good chances. Covered plenty of ground for Modric, though.
Getty Images SportAttack
Rodrygo (5/10):
Ducked and weaved for 80 minutes without creating a clear chance.
Vinicius Jr (7/10):
Ran at his man all evening. Saw a truly wonderful goal unfortunately ruled out after an offside in the build-up.
AFPSubs & Manager
Endrick (6/10):
Lively, but isn't suited to a lone No.9 role.
Brahim Diaz (N/A):
Probably introduced a bit too late.
Arda Guler (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Lucas Vazquez (N/A):
His introduction allowed Valverde to get further forward, which eventually led to the goal.
Carlo Ancelotti (7/10):
Went with his strongest available XI while Mbappe was suspended. Madrid were poor for most of the game, but turned it on late – and were ultimately good value for the win. The title race remains on.