Real Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Real Madrid moved within one point of La Liga leaders Barcelona with a 4-2 victory over visiting Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice for the hosts, with James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos adding single strikes. Javier Eraso and Gorka Elustondo found the back of the net for Athletic.
The result took Real up to second place at least temporarily, two points ahead of Atletico Madrid, who play Sunday. Leaders Barcelona also play Sunday and have two matches in hand on Real.
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from Saturday's match.
Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo
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Cristiano Ronaldo's two goals bookended a good attacking performance from Real Madrid. And his opener was a thing of beauty.
In the third minute, Karim Benzema controlled a throw-in with his chest and passed to Ronaldo on the left. Ronaldo cut inside past Xabier Etxeita and curled an unstoppable shot beyond Gorka Iraizoz into the top corner—just a friendly reminder to all his critics that Ronaldo remains a world-class finisher.
The Portuguese superstar then assisted Toni Kroos' goal with a clever, scooped pass in the 45th minute. With the score still 3-1, Ronaldo added his second strike of the match, a powerful effort from inside the box, in the 87th minute.
With a tricky set of fixtures coming up (more on this momentarily), Real will need Ronaldo to continue performing at optimal levels.
Loser: Raphael Varane
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Raphael Varane had a day to forget for Real Madrid, committing an error that led to Athletic's lone goal and later seeing red for his second bookable offense.
The error came in the 10th minute, as Varane played an ill-advised back pass to Keylor Navas, who was already coming off his line to collect the ball. With Navas left stranded, Javier Eraso stole in and finished from close range.
Varane then saw yellow following an aerial challenge with Aritz Aduriz in the first half. He received his second yellow and his marching orders for a similar incident late in the second period. However, as Sid Lowe argued on Twitter, the dismissal wasn't deserved.
"Two yellow cards for two entirely normal jumps to head a ball (as far as I can see). Horribly cheap, harsh red card," Lowe tweeted.
Deserved or not, the red card means Varane will now be suspended for Real's game against Malaga. Though the dismissal was probably harsh, this was not a game Varane will remember fondly.
Winner: James Rodriguez
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James Rodriguez restored Real Madrid's lead with a classy strike in the 37th minute. After accepting a pass in midfield, the Colombian cut to his left and whipped a shot past two defenders, across Athletic goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz and into the bottom corner from 25 yards.
It was a beautiful goal that underlined the player's credentials as a top-class talent. Not only did he have to beat the goalkeeper from long distance, but he also had to thread his shot through a pair of defenders.
Winner and Loser: Aritz Aduriz
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Aritz Aduriz was in the thick of the action throughout the first half, both creating chances and going for goal himself on several occasions, but the striker was unable to find the back of the net for his side.
In the eighth minute, Aduriz flashed a header wide of the post following a good cross from the right. He came closer 11 minutes later, but Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas kept out his low header from Mikel Balenziaga's cross.
Aduriz went closer still in the 28th minute, hitting the crossbar with a first-time shot following another Balenziaga pass. Six minutes later, he set up Oscar de Marcos after bursting past Dani Carvajal, but De Marcos mishit his attempted shot.
The chances slowed in the second half, but Aduriz had a good opportunity in the 68th minute, when he found the ball at his feet inside the box. He had plenty of time and space to pick out a shot, but he took too long to act, allowing Navas to race off his line and clear.
All in all, it amounted to a frustrating day for Aduriz, who created moments of danger but never scored.
Winner: Zinedine Zidane
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Saturday's match marked the beginning of a tricky spell for Real Madrid. Following Athletic's visit to the Bernabeu, Los Blancos will now travel to Italy to face AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. After that, Zinedine Zidane's men will return to the league to face Malaga (away) and Atletico Madrid (home).
That's a tough stretch for any team, but Real have now won three straight league fixtures and still have a perfect home record under Zidane. Saturday's win, therefore, was an ideal boost ahead of what could be a defining stretch for Real Madrid's season.
