Home / Football / Real Madrid Player Ratings vs Athletic Bilbao (1-0): Valverde Scores 8.5, Bellingham a Lowly 5

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs Athletic Bilbao (1-0): Valverde Scores 8.5, Bellingham a Lowly 5

Sushan Chakraborty Written by Sports EditorSushan Chakraborty
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Fede Valverde Celebrating a Goal | Real Madrid Player Ratings vs Athletic Bilbao

Real Madrid claimed a last-gasp winner in their LaLiga clash with Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Sunday, April 20. SportsCasting explores complete Real Madrid player ratings in their 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.

The slender triumph on Matchday 32 took Los Blancos within four points of Barcelona, who sit at the summit with 73.

Real Madrid 1-0 Athletic Bilbao: Match Summary

Still reeling from their UEFA Champions League exit against Arsenal, Real Madrid welcomed Athletic Bilbao to town for their LaLiga appointment. With Kylian Mbappe out injured (also suspended), Carlo Ancelotti went with the tried and tested attack of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Jude Bellingham. The trio regularly made inroads into the final third, but could not put pressure on the goalkeeper in the first half. Failing to create meaningful goalscoring opportunities, Real Madrid ended the first half with an xG of 0.16.

After Rodrygo and Fede Valverde had stabs at the Athletic goal, Los Blancos carved out a gilt-edged goalscoring opportunity in the 61st minute. Vinicius Jr delivered a peach of a cross into the area with the outside of his boot. Bellingham, who had timed his run to perfection, headed the ball, but Unai Simon tipped it over the bar. Bellingham got another goal-scoring opportunity from the resulting corner, but he failed to keep his header on target.

In the 79th minute, Vinicius cut in from the left, engineered a bit of room, and hit the back of the net with a fine effort. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, his countryman Endrick was offside in the build-up, causing the goal to be chalked off.

The winner finally arrived in the third minute of added time, courtesy of a brilliant half volley from Valverde. Substitute Brahim Diaz penetrated the box, trying to dribble his way to a promising shooting position. Bilbao defenders, however, blocked his advances, poking the ball away. Unfortunately for them, the ball fell to Valverde, who found the top-left corner with an unstoppable strike, sealing maximum points for the hosts.

With the match summary dealt with, let’s explore Real Madrid player ratings in their 1-0 win over Bilbao.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs Athletic Bilbao (1-0)

Thibaut Courtois (6.5/10):

After producing some sensational saves against Arsenal, Thibaut Courtois could enjoy a quiet night against Bilbao. His only save — a good one — came in the 59th minute, as he parried Unai Gomez’s effort out of harm’s way.

Federico Valverde (8.5/10):

Federico Valverde was by far the best Real Madrid player against Athletic Bilbao. Playing at right back, the Uruguayan midfielder made regular inroads into the opposition third, taking as many as seven shots — with three of them landing on target — and creating two chances. He ran tirelessly from start to finish and scored a goal worthy of a Puskas shout. Simply sublime.

Raul Asencio (7/10):

After a disappointing showing against Arsenal, young centre back Raul Asencio regained his composure against Athletic Bilbao. He completed 67 passes with 100 per cent accuracy, delivered two accurate long balls, made five recoveries, and completed three clearances.

Antonio Rudiger (7.5/10):

Real Madrid centre back Antonio Rudiger had a solid outing against Bilbao. Not only was he brilliant in defence, but he also regularly charged down the middle, creating overloads during attacks. The German defender won both his tackles, made four clearances, won all four duels, and delivered two accurate long balls.

Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):

Playing out of position, natural central midfielder Eduardo Camavinga looked convincing at left back. He delivered a couple of long balls, made five recoveries, and had one effort on target, catching Athletic defenders out with his burst of pace.

Aurelien Tchouameni (7.5/10):

The anchor in midfield, Aurelien Tchouameni, shielded the defence to perfection. The Frenchman won two tackles, made four interceptions, and registered seven recoveries. He also won a game-high 12 duels in the LaLiga clash.

Luka Modric (7.5/10):

The oldest outfield player in Real Madrid history, Luka Modric, completed the most passes in Sunday’s clash (77). He also created a whopping five chances, played 17 passes into the final third, delivered eight accurate long balls, and won two tackles. Talk about a complete performance!

Dani Ceballos (6.5/10):

The central midfielder lacked the spark against Bilbao. He created just one chance and took one solitary shot, which veered off target. Carlo Ancelotti hooked the Spaniard for Endrick before the hour mark.

Jude Bellingham (5/10):

Jude Bellingham cut a frustrated figure in Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Bilbao. The Englishman missed three big chances, misplaced both his crosses, was dispossessed three times, and lost a whopping 12 duels — the highest in the game.

Rodrygo (6.5/10):

The Brazilian was neither good nor poor against Bilbao. He created a chance, took two shots, and pulled off two dribbles. His crosses should have been a lot better, though, as none of his four deliveries landed on target.

Vinicius Junior (7.5/10):

The No. 7 was the most convincing Real Madrid attacker on Sunday. The Brazilian created a game-high six chances, completed five dribbles, made four recoveries, and won nine ground duels. His shooting was, however, below par, as none of his four shots hit the target.

Substitute Real Madrid Player Ratings vs Athletic Bilbao:

Endrick (58′) (6/10): Had enough minutes to make an impact, but could not do anything of note. Took just five touches and completed one pass in 30+ minutes.

Arda Guler (78′) (6.5/10): His movement was good and created a chance.

Brahim Diaz (78′) (6.5/10): Brahim Diaz injected a lot of energy into Madrid’s attack. It was his drive that led to Valverde’s winner.

Lucas Vazquez (83′) (N/A): No impact.

Sushan Chakraborty Written by Sports EditorSushan Chakraborty
Sushan Chakraborty has been writing professionally since debuting with 90min in 2017. He has since typed out thousands of articles, learning the trade from some of the smartest minds in the business. Now at Sportscasting, he is striving to whip up his best articles yet.
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