The first 10 minutes of Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Madrid were breathtaking and featured a wondergoal from Karim Benzema, who scored twice in the fourth and seventh minutes. Bilbao pulled one back just three minutes after Benzema netted his brace. Thereafter, the game was still open, but the quality was lacking. And Real, playing without Luka Modric once more, could not maintain control of the match.
Thibaut Courtois, who was so impressive in the first match between these two old rivals, made another massive stop. Bilbao could have easily taken points off Los Blancos at San Mames, but the visitors managed to survive to extend their lead over Sevilla in first back to eight points.
Here are the player ratings from Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao in LaLiga.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Another big-game performance from the world-class Belgian goalkeeper. I loved his save on Nico Williams, because the young forward went for a nutmeg finish that Thibaut Courtois anticipated. That is experienced goalkeeping.
Rating: 7.5
LB Ferland Mendy
Ferland Mendy had another decent performance. The left back completed 95 percent of his passes with a pair of interceptions and fouls drawn, as well as three dribbles completed. Although he wasn’t involved much in the attack, he played to his strengths and did a good job when helping out defensively against Inaki Williams.
Rating: 6.5
CB Nacho Fernandez
Nacho started for David Alaba, who was out with COVID-19. The veteran center back had one great intercepted cross, but he also had a few nervy moments defensively. He should have done better on Bilbao’s goal, too, as he did not move quickly enough to close down the shot. Nacho finished the match with a handful of clearances, a pair of blocked shots, and a trio of interceptions after he settled into the game. An above-average performance, all told, from the Spaniard.
Rating: 7.0
CB Eder Militao
Great work from Eder Militao, as usual, who may finally be getting wider recognition for his world-class displays this month. Militao was rarely troubled defensively and always made good, safe decisions to clean up play and keep Bilbao out of the box. The 23-year-old continues to be one of the major stars for Real.
Rating: 8.0
RB Lucas Vazquez
Although Lucas Vazquez was not nearly as shocking as against Cadiz, he still seriously lacked end product on the attacking end. His inaccurate crosses have been panned by Madridistas over the past couple of weeks, and they frustrated fans once again this Wednesday night. Dani Carvajal’s return cannot come soon enough. Vazquez nearly cost the team with one truly atrocious giveaway, too.
Rating: 5.0
CM Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos was the official Man of the Match and did come close to scoring in the final minutes, but he was denied by a save. You would have backed Kroos to score in that situation, but he did finish with an assist after his quick-fire pass to Karim Benzema on the wondergoal.
The German finished the match with a pair of key passes, shots on target, passes, and interceptions. He completed a couple of ticks over 92 percent of his passes, of which he had more than 100 attempts. And his passing accuracy on long balls was 13 of 15. All told, you have to say it was another tidy performance from Kroos, despite not having Casemiro and Luka Modric by his side.
Rating: 7.5
CM Eduardo Camavinga
Eduardo Camavinga will be out against Getafe after picking up a fifth yellow card. He made several late challenges, but it was a forced foul after an Eden Hazard giveaway that led to his booking. Camavinga made up for some of his blushes with an extremely active defensive display, winning a team-high six tackles with an additional two clearances. He also impressively was second on the team with 80 pass attempts, completing 91.3 percent of them. And he was accurate on 9 of 10 long balls. Camavinga’s skills, passing accuracy, and ball-winning are excellent. He makes a top-class tackle in every match, too. The little details still need improvement, though, as he had a couple of tense moments defensively.
Rating: 7.0
CM Fede Valverde
Real Madrid need more from Fede Valverde. He was too average against Athletic Bilbao, seeing a lot of the ball on the right-hand side but failing to really do anything with it. His ball-carrying, passing accuracy, and defensive contributions were all solid enough, but a No. 8 for Madrid is expected to offer more end product. That incisiveness has been lacking from Fede this season, whereas it was present in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.
Rating: 6.0
LW Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior had a surprisingly pedestrian performance, though the officiating did not help him as the referee played into Athletic Bilbao’s plan of getting physical with Vini to throw him off his game. Like against Cadiz, Ferland Mendy could not offer the overlapping support for Vini, who was forced into difficult dribbling situations. Vini had a role in the opener for Benzema and worked very hard defensively, so he was not anonymous. That said, it was not a banner game for Vini.
Rating: 5.5
CF Karim Benzema
Tremendous from Karim the Dream. Without Benzema, Real Madrid would have lost all three of their points at San Mames. If he was cool and clinical for his second, he was out-of-this-world for his first goal of the night. Benzema was at the heart of everything good for Madrid against Athletic Bilbao, with his movement off the ball being a particular highlight. It’s a shame the other forwards could not come close to matching his level, because Los Blancos could have played some high-quality football around Benzema with the form the Frenchman was in. He received a standing ovation from the fans at San Mames, which says it all.
Rating: 8.5
RW Eden Hazard
Arguably the worst player on the pitch. Eden Hazard left Real Madrid vulnerable with a couple of horrible flicks that led to counters for Bilbao. He was slow on the ball, and he often ruined transition opportunities by jogging or simply standing on the ball instead of quickly finding an option. Hazard had a couple of bright moments with his decisions off the ball, and he made one great recovery to help out Lucas Vazquez in his own box. He even drew a handful of fouls.
However, Hazard did a whole lot of nothing, because, like Fede, he could not find that extra gear in the opposing box. And for a forward, that is a huge problem. He did not do his teammates any favors at San Mames, and this was a step back from his encouraging second half vs. Cadiz.
Rating: 5.0