Player Ratings: Athletic Club 0-1 Real Madrid

Real Madrid stay alive in the title race after Nacho scored the winner for Los Blancos. Atletico Madrid also managed to win their game which means Zinedine Zidane’s side remain two points behind Simeone’s men with just one game left to be played.

Real Madrid needed a win at the San Mames to stay in the title race and they did just that. Nacho scored the one and only goal of the game after being found by Casemiro inside the box. The result means that Madrid need a win against Villarreal next weekend while also hoping that Valladolid can snatch at least a point from Atletico Madrid. Our player ratings:

Starting XI:

Thibaut Courtois: 8/10

A relatively quiet night for the big Belgian. Courtois made a couple of good saves throughout the game but none of Athletic’s efforts were of much danger.

Alvaro Odriozola: 7/10

Odriozola has been growing in confidence over the past few weeks and that was evident tonight. The right-back was solid in defence and was involved in Madrid’s attacks down the right wing. The Spaniard put in a cross that hit Jon Morcillo’s arm but somehow the penalty wasn’t given.

Eder Militao: 8/10

Relatively untroubled throughout his time on the pitch. The Brazilian continued his great run of form in defence and came close to scoring from a corner kick on the other end of the pitch.

Nacho: 9/10

Athletic produced little to no threat to the Spaniard in defence. The Basque side’s lack of danger up top allowed Nacho to have more influence in attack. His efforts were rewarded with him scoring the winner for Real Madrid to keep them alive in the title race.

Miguel Gutiérrez: 7/10

His second consecutive start. Miguel impressed yet again, putting in a solid shift both in defence and attack. The youngster is proving that he has what it takes to play for the first team.

Fede Valverde: 8/10

Real Madrid would currently be top of the league if Valverde wasn’t so unlucky with injuries this season. The Uruguayan showed just how important he is to this team, displaying incredible energy and determination in the middle of the park.

Casemiro: 8/10

Influential yet again. Casemiro is Real Madrid’s second highest scorer this season and he came close to adding to his tally tonight. The Brazilian saw his header come crashing back off the crossbar around the hour mark before assisting Nacho for the winner a few minutes later.

Luka Modric: 9/10

Another splendid performance. The Croatian was once again at the centre of everything positive for Real Madrid. Luka came close to scoring but was denied by Unai Simon. He also came close to assisting Casemiro, but the Brazilian’s header crashed off the crossbar.

Rodrygo: 6/10

A rather average performance from the Brazilian. Rodrygo was involved in the buildup to Nacho’s goal but didn’t really make much of an impact like he did against Granada in midweek.

Karim Benzema: 7/10

Not the type of performance he would’ve wanted. Karim wasn’t very involved in the game and didn’t have any notable opportunities to score either. A quiet evening for the attacker.

Vinicius Jr: 7/10

Arguably Real Madrid’s most dangerous player in attack. The Brazilian caused Athletic all sorts of problems but failed to make the right decision when it came to the final ball.

Substitutions:

Marco Asensio: 6/10 – Came on to replace Vinicius. The Spaniard didn’t see much of the ball and didn’t have much of an impact.

Eden Hazard: 6/10 – Came on to replace Rodrygo with 15 minutes to go.

Player Ratings: Athletic Club 0-1 Real Madrid

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