Result: Real Madrid 3-1 Athletic Club
Date: 15 December 2020
Venue: Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano
Real Madrid moved level on points with the LaLiga leaders after defeating Athletic Club 3-1 at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Tuesday evening.
Los Blancos manager Zinedine Zidane made only one enforced change, as Federico Valverde was recalled in place of the suspended Casemiro.
Bilbao got off to a horrible start after after they were reduced to ten men in only the 14th minute following the sending off of attacker Raul Garcia, who received two yellow cards for separate challenges on Toni Kroos.
Despite being a man down, the visitors were finding space going forward but they were letting themselves down with the quality of the crosses and the final ball.
Vinicius Junior had a great chance to break the deadlock for Zidane's charges just before the break after a through ball by Luka Modric but he was denied by goalkeeper Unai Simon from close range, in a one-on-one situation.
Minutes later, Kroos finally broke the ice for Los Blancos in first-half added time with a rocket of a strike from the edge of the box that found the bottom corner after he was teed up by Vinicius Junior.
Gaizka Garitano's men had a good start in the second stanza as Ander Capa levelled matters eight minutes from the break with close range strike from a rebound against the run of play after his initial shot was saved by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Los Blancos were camping in the Athletic half, piling up the pressure and Karim Benzema eventually restored their lead in the last quarter of an hour with a powerful header inside the box after a short corner by Dani Carvajal.
Benzema sealed the three points for Madrid with the third goal with a low strike into the far corner after latching on to Modric's though-ball, as Los Blancos moved level on points leaders Real Sociedad and second-alced Atletico Madrid in third place.
