Athletic plays like never before at the Bernabéu, but loses as always

Play like never before to lose like always. Athletic deserved more yesterday at the Bernabéu, much more, but ended up succumbing to the efficiency of the current top scorer in the League. It was enough for Benzema to have a very clear one to make a difference.

The rojiblanco chapter of occasions, extensive and diaphanous at best, affects half of the team members. Iñaki Williams, Raúl García, Nuñez, Yeray, Sancet, Dani García, Vesga … Marcelino’s team, however, is still at odds with the goal. Courtois, it is true, also plays, but even so, it seems impossible that the lions in the merengue arena would forgive some of those they forgave.

Madrid played their game while their legs held them, but they lost ground, ball and control as the minutes passed. The opposite happened to the Bilbao team. He gritted his starting teeth, came out of the cave little by little and received a goal on the brink of half-time, half genius half luck of the rival, which ended up costing him three points and the first defeat out of the entire League. A shame

Three start changes

Ancelotti presented the same eleven last Sunday against Sevilla with the only change of Lucas Vázquez for Carvajal on the right side. The Italian coach, aware of the good moment of his team, left the rotations for a better occasion. Ex officio matter.

Marcelino made more variations. Nuñez replaced the sanctioned Iñigo Martínez, Zarraga was placed inside right-handed instead of Nico Williams and Iñaki Williams returned to the axis of the front in place of Sancet. The Bilbao team planted themselves on the wet lawn of the Bernabéu with their classic 1-4-4-2.

The merengue outing forced the lions to gear up behind. The whites took the ball, but only Benzema was able to put Unai Simón in trouble. Once the storm was over, Athletic came out of the cave and had three clear goal options in just five minutes.

Williams starred in the first two, the second with a gross error in control only against Courtois, and Raúl García the third with a shot from point-blank range to Muniain’s pass that ended up in the power of the Belgian goalkeeper. Nuñez also had his option.

Read also

Madrid, after suffering these scares, re-imposed their dominance and managed to score five minutes before the break after a goal from Benzema after Asensio’s initial shot, a rebound from Unai Simón and a kick that ended in an involuntary pass that killed Modric .

The second half, with De Marcos instead of Lekue, was Athletic. The lions, with Muniain unleashed, began to intimidate a Madrid that began to base its offensive options on counterattacks, shots from Kroos and isolated details from Vinicius. Zarraga was the first to try it for the Bilbao side.

Marcelino put Nico Williams in for Winner. Dani García, Raúl García and Nuñez joined the carousel of clear goal options. The withdrawal of Muniain and Raúl García gave entry to Sancet and Berenguer. Athletic lowered the piston from there, but recovered it little by little. Sancet, the newcomer Vesga and Yeray also had the tie in their hands, but the goal was resisted. Play like never before to lose as always at the Bernabéu.