Athletic Club 2-1 Real Madrid: Los Blancos Player Ratings as they miss opportunity to close the lead to the top | La Liga 2024-25

Another penalty miss from Kylian Mbappe punctuated the evening as Real Madrid lost 2-1 to Athletic Club in La Liga on Wednesday, December 4. Los Blancos missed out on the opportunity to reduce the gap to league leaders Barcelona to one point.

Real Madrid welcomed Aurelien Tchouameni back from injury. The French midfielder's return to the starting lineup was Carlo Ancelotti's only change, replacing Brahim Diaz.

The visitors found themselves second-best early on as Athletic Club posed some threats going forward. However, the first half remained scoreless with Los Blancos coming the closest, having a goal from Mbappe ruled out.

The hosts eventually took the lead in the second half after 53 minutes. Thibaut Courtois dealt poorly with a cross, sending it straight to Alex Berenguer, who scored to make it 1-0.

Real Madrid then had a golden opportunity to level the scores as Antonio Rudiger won his side a spot-kick, just like he had done against Liverpool. Once again, Mbappe stepped up and saw his effort saved with relative ease as Athletic received a huge let-off.

Los Blancos continued to apply pressure in search of an equaliser and it eventually came through Jude Bellingham. Mbappe's initial effort was saved, but the midfielder was in the right place for the rebound, levelling the scores after 78 minutes.

However, that lasted for just two minutes as the hosts scored again to restore their advantage. It was an error for Madrid again, as Valverde gave the ball away and substitute Gorka Guruzeta punched home to make it 2-1.

Real Madrid were unable to find another equaliser, succumbing to their second loss of the league campaign. Here are the player ratings:

Real Madrid Player Ratings

Thibaut Courtois - 5/10

Courtois was probably slightly unlucky but ought to have done better to prevent the opponents' first. He could not do much about the second.

Lucas Vazquez - 6/10

An energetic performance from Vazquez but seemed to lack the end product when going forward.

Raul Asencio - 6/10

Asencio showed some signs of inexperience, especially during the second goal, where he was beaten. Although he has shown promise, he could find minutes hard to come by once the side's injured players return.

Antonio Rudiger - 6.5/10

Rudiger was solid at the back and did well to win the penalty. He finished the game with eight clearances, four recoveries, and nine defensive actions.

Fran Garcia - 6.5/10

An improvement from his performance over Getafe at the weekend, but did not do enough to nail down a starting spot.

Aurelien Tchouameni - 6/10

The Frenchman continues to have an up-and-down season. He had his moments of calmness, but also looked uncomfortable with the pace of the game.

Federico Valverde - 5/10

A rare error from one of Real Madrid's usually reliable players, giving the ball away too cheaply to hand the hosts their second goal.

Dani Ceballos - 5.5/10

He struggled to create much of an impact before being taken off around the hour mark.

Rodrygo - 5.5/10

The Brazilian was mostly silent throughout the night, struggling to get into the game.

Jude Bellingham - 7.5/10

A brilliant performance from Bellingham went to waste as the Englishman's energy and ambition could not save Los Blancos. He provided a spark going forward while also working hard off the ball.

Kylian Mbappe - 4.5/10

Mbappe seems to be suffering from a serious lack of confidence. Another miss from the spot means he now has two back-to-back and he is sure to face greater pressure to come good for a struggling Real Madrid side.

Substitutes

Brahim Diaz - 6/10

Brought on for Ceballos for more creativity, but could not deliver much.

Ferland Mendy - 6/10

Replaced Garcia late on but failed to contribute anything of note.

Luka Modric - 5.5/10

He had a difficult time as the game seemed to get by him quickly in his cameo.

Endrick and Arda Guler - N/A

The pair came on late and did not play enough minutes to merit a rating.