Sunday night in La Liga, Real Madrid defeated Athletic Club 2-0 thanks to a spectacular brace from Rodrygo Goes.
Within the first ten minutes, the Brazilian sensation scored the first goal in spectacular fashion, cannoning the ball into the top corner of the net. Later in the second half, he slipped the ball into the bottom left corner to seal the victory for Real Madrid.
With the victory, Madrid moves one step closer to winning La Liga; going into the final eight gameweeks of the 2023–2024 season, Los Blancos lead Barcelona by eight points.
The course of the game
Real Madrid wouldn’t get through into the final third until the seventh minute, and when they did, they took an incredible lead. Rodrygo Goes would score the goal. He did so by grabbing onto a pass from Brahim Diaz, jinking in-field from the left, and expertly curling the ball into the upper right corner of the net.
Madrid took the lead and dominated the game with remarkable ease, forcing Athletic Club to retreat into their defensive third.
Two occasions before the half ended, Los Blancos would nearly double their lead. Federico Valverde had the first opportunity, forcing Julen Agirrezabala into a deft save at his near post with a volleyed shot. Aurelien Tchouameni missed the second, heading a Toni Kroos corner kιck just wide.
A few minutes into the second half, Brahim on the right of the penalty box would receive a defence-splitting pass from Rodrygo, bringing the home team even closer to doubling the score. But the former Manchester City player cannoned the ball off the post and out of dаnger with just the goalkeeper to beаt.
Soon after, Inaki Williams nearly made up for those misses when he volleyed a shot from barely eight yards out, forcing Andriy Lunin into an incredible stop.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team started to enjoy more success in the оffensive third as the game progressed late, and they eventually scored their second goal in the 73rd minute. Once more, Rodrygo would score the goal. This time, Jude Bellingham would play the ball on the left side to him, who would then cut in past a defender and coolly place the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.
Before the final whistle, Madrid supporters celebrated once more as Eder Militao returned from the bench following a protracted absence due to an ACL ιnjury.
GK: Andriy Lunin – 7/10 – The Ukrainian stopped Inaki Williams with a spectacular save to start the second half.
RB: Dani Carvajal – 6/10 – The seasoned full-back had another respectable оffensive performance.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – 6/10 – In the defensive third, he didn’t have a lot of work to do.
CB: Nacho Fernandez – 6/10 – Did a good job of spreading the ball about during the match.
LB: Ferland Mendy – 6/10 – Completed 94% of his passes and maintained good ball control at all times.
Federico Valverde, CM – 6./10 made numerous attempts to enter the final third and exerted strong effort on the ball’s defensive end as well.
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni – 6/10 – Generally performed well in the middle of the park and came within a hair’s breadth of doubling Madrid’s advantage at the end of the first half.
CM: Toni Kroos: 6/10, 92% pass accuracy; this is an average performance for Kroos.
AM: Jude Bellingham – 7/10 – Created the game’s second goal and was a constant threаt to Athletic Club.
ST: Brahim Diaz – 7/10 – The driving force behind Madrid’s оffensive that evening. When Carlo Ancelotti gave Brahim the opportunity to start, he once again dazzled, setting up a goal and hitting the post.
Rodrygo Goes, ST: 9/10 Los Blancos won the match thanks to his two magical moments. These were two truly amazing goals. best player.
Replacements: Joselu (72′ in place of Brahim) – 5/10
5/10 for SUB: Lucas Vazquez (80′ for Valverde)
5-star rating for Eduardo Camavinga (80′ for Rodrygo)
SUB: 5/10 for Luka Modric (80′ for Kroos)
SUB: Eder Militao – N/A (90′ for Carvajal)
Carlo Ancelotti, manager: 7/10 Real Madrid always plays at a high level, regardless of who is hurt or suspended, and this is a testament to the genius of their coach.