Mbappe Sparkles as Real Madrid Crush Athletic Bilbao in Dominant Display
Kylian Mbappe scores twice and assists once as Real Madrid bounce back from three away draws to stay close to Barcelona in La Liga.
India, Dec 04 : Kylian Mbappe produced a stellar performance to lead Real Madrid to a 3-0 triumph over Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés, keeping the La Liga title race alive. The French forward opened the scoring with a brilliant solo effort in the seventh minute, assisted Eduardo Camavinga for the second goal just before halftime, and sealed the victory with a fierce strike from outside the box in the 58th minute.
The win moves Real Madrid just one point behind FC Barcelona, who defeated Atletico Madrid 3-1 earlier this week, keeping the pressure on in the title race.
Real Madrid, coached by Xabi Alonso, had faced challenges on the road with three consecutive away draws prior to this match. Mbappe’s early strike set the tone, giving Madrid control and forcing Athletic Bilbao to chase the game. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made key saves to keep the hosts at bay, while Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde tried to inject energy at halftime by bringing on Jesus Areso and Unai Gomez.
Mbappe’s second goal, a well-timed run and finish, effectively sealed the game, leaving Athletic with little chance to respond. The only setback for Madrid was a muscle injury that forced Trent Alexander-Arnold off early in the second half.
Alonso praised his star forward after the match, saying, “Mbappe scored two more great goals today. His movement and link-up play with Vini Jr. were excellent. The team came out focused from the first minute to win with intensity and good tempo. This victory was crucial after three away draws.”
With this win, Real Madrid aims to carry momentum into their next home fixture on Sunday, determined to close the gap on Barcelona and strengthen their title challenge.
