Real Madrid missed the mark this Wednesday in the advanced match of the 19e La Liga day. On the pitch in Bilbao, the Merengues twice conceded the advantage in the score to finally lose 2-1. An unfortunate result which leaves them four lengths behind the Blaugrana leader, relaunched the day before at the expense of Mallorca (1-5) after a big slump in three acts.
In the absence of Vinicius Jr, Real relied on an attack made up of Mbappé and Rodrygo, with Bellingham in support – a trio which struggled to stand out on Basque soil. Certainly the captain of the Blues shook the net in the first quarter of an hour but the offside trap, as too often this season, closed on his crampons. And the worst happened after the hour mark.
Like against Liverpool…
As against Liverpool a week earlier in the Champions League, the former Parisian missed the opportunity to revive his team from the penalty spot while Berenguer had struck first a few minutes earlier (1-0, 53e). His mid-height shot to the goalkeeper’s left – similar to his attempt against the Reds – did not deceive the vigilance of Agirrezabala (68th). And the Bilbao supporters exulted by beating the French international.
Of course, Bellingham equalized ten minutes later, opportunistic in the area after a save from the last opposing wall following a long shot from Mbappé (1-1, 78e) – only Athletic regained the advantage straight away thanks to Guruzeta (2-1, 80e), not without a guilty loss of the ball from Valverde. Once again, Mbappé ended a match without relief, flanked by three shots and only 44 balls touched – the lowest total of the Merengues holders this evening, behind Courtois included (63). This is unlikely to boost the confidence of the Blues scorer.
