Real Madrid missed a chance to close the gap on La Liga table-toppers and arch-domestic rivals Barcelona following a L Liga shocker at the San Mames Stadium against Athletic Bilbao, MySportDab reports.
The reigning European and Spanish champions went into the game four points adrift of Barcelona and needed a win to close up on the title contenders with a game in hand.
It was a difficult mission for the defending champions from the start as Athletic Bilbao pulled a strong display to contest the game and match the visitors’ energy in attack and defence.
A heated and competitive first half saw the game end barren with both sides unable to break the deadlock.
However, this changed in the second half when Athletic Bilbao swung into an unlikely lead through Berenguer’s 53rd-minute strike.
After conceding, Real Madrid stepped up proceedings to find an equalizer but the hosts’ brick-wall defence was equal to the task.
Meanwhile, in the 68th minute, Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty that would have seen the away side level the scoreline.
His spot-kick was brilliantly saved by the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper. However, 10 minutes after the horrendous miss, Jude Bellingham stepped up to save the visitors, scoring a sensation to make it 1-1.
After Bellingham’s goal, it took Athletic Bilbao just two minutes to shockingly race into the lead again. Guruzeta scored the hosts’ second goal to make it 2-1 and seal an unlikely victory for the team.
It ended with a shock defeat for Real Madrid – their second defeat in three matches in all competitions.
They sit four points behind Barcelona on top of the La Liga table but have a game in hand.
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