Real Madrid – Athletic Bilbao 1-0: Valverde’s ‘lightning bolt’ secures victory for the hosts

Real Madrid secured a 1-0 win in their 32nd competitive La Liga match, with the ‘merengues’ claiming a tough three points late in the game. The decisive goal for Real Madrid was scored by Federico Valverde in the 90+3 minute with a thunderous shot that broke the strong and valiant resistance of Athletic Bilbao, who had maintained a draw until that moment. With this victory, Real Madrid reached 69 points, remaining 4 points behind league leaders Barcelona in the highly competitive race for this year’s title. Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao stayed in 4th place with 57 points, keeping their hopes alive for Champions League qualification next season. In the first half, Real Madrid faced significant pressure due to the absence of Kylian Mbappé and struggled to score against a well-organized team boasting the best defense in the league (only 26 goals conceded). In the second half, the hosts improved their performance, becoming more threatening, with Vinícius nearly scoring in the 82nd minute, but his effort was ruled out for offside. The 0-0 deadlock held until the third minute of stoppage time when Valverde took action, delivering an astonishing strike to secure the crucial win for Real Madrid, keeping them in contention for the title.