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Final score: Real Madrid 1-1 Athletic Bilbao
Goalscorers: Inaki Williams 14' (Athletic Bilbao), Cristiano Ronaldo 87' (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao shared the points in a tightly contested La Liga encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu. Inaki Williams gave Bilbao the lead in the first half, chipping one past Keylor Navas.
The Basque side were on course for a famous away victory but Cristiano Ronaldo, as he has done innumerable times this season, saved Real Madrid from the blushes of a defeat by scoring an equalizer in the 87th minute.
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A lot of things have to be discussed from this game in which Real Madrid made their struggles known in La Liga yet again. So without further ado, let's discuss the key talking points that emerged from the 1-1 draw between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao:
#5 Athletic Bilbao's profligacy costs them the match
Despite enjoying just 34.3% share of the ball, it was the visiting side that had more clear-cut chances on the night. But the problem that has troubled Bilbao all season came back to haunt them against Real Madrid as a lack of clinical finishing led them to drop two valuable points against Real Madrid.
Barring the goal, which was beautifully finished by the 24-year-old Inaki Williams, Bilbao missed glorious chances on either side of the break which could have sealed the deal for them. The first chance fell to Ander Iturraspe in the 7th minute when he was through on goal and had just the keeper to beat.
But the midfielder could not make the most of his big moment and shot straight at the diving Navas. Then in the 64th minute of the game, Bilbao had a glorious opportunity of doubling their lead when a cross from De Marcos found Inigo Cordoba. He shot straight at Dani Carvajal and the ball fell kindly to Raul Garcia who hit the crossbar with his shot.
#4 Real Madrid lack control in midfield without Casemiro
After having played him in back to back wins over Juventus and Malaga, Zinedine Zidane opted to rest Casemiro in this one. With one eye on Tuesday's clash against Bayern Munich, the holding midfielder was put on the bench and he remained an unused substitute.
But without him in the side, Real Madrid struggled to grab a hold of the midfield proceedings. Both Toni Kroos and Luka Modric aren't the best at work done without the ball which was evident against Athletic Bilbao. Without Casemiro, too much of the workload was put on Kroos and Modric which led to them having a quiet night.
Bilbao players were going past Kroos with ease in the first half with one such incident resulting in the first goal. Inigo Cordoba was left unmarked by the Madrid midfield and then played a through ball to Inaki Williams to score Bilbao's opener.
This game, quite simply, proved Casemiro's underlying importance to this Real Madrid side.
#3 Kepa Arrizabalaga proves Zinedine Zidane wrong
Last summer, Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao had reached an agreement to take talented goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga on board. But Zinedine Zidane vetoed against the deal, keeping his faith in Keylor Navas and Kiko Casilla.
And yesterday, it was Kepa who kept Real Madrid at bay, produced a scintillating performance. The youngster made as many as nine saves on the night - the most that he has managed in a single La Liga encounter.
He showed quick reflexes to stop Cristiano Ronaldo and Marco Asensio's shots and was brilliant in handing Madrid's long-range efforts. More than his saves, it was his composure of playing in a big match at a historic place and against a mighty opponent which caught the eye.
With this performance, Kepa proved that not signing him last summer might prove to be one of Zinedine Zidane's huge mistakes.
#2 The curious case of Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema
The past week or so has not been kind to Gareth Bale at all. After being taken off at halftime against Juventus, Bale was dropped for the trip to Malaga. He was again on the bench against Athletic Bilbao, coming on only in the 69th minute.
The recent turn of events points to only one possibility, and that is the fact that Bale's time at the Bernabeu could coming to an end. But Zinedine Zidane, in his post-match press conference, gave a diplomatic response when asked about Gareth Bale.
Zidane said, "There is no problem with Bale. He is one of 25 players in the squad. He did not start today, others did and are playing well too. You keep asking but my answer on this will not change."
Meanwhile, Karim Benzema endured another lacklustre outing. The striker has now scored just one goal in his last 10 appearances and was anonymous against Bilbao for the majority of his time on the field. Zidane refused to talk about his favoured striker and maintained that he will focus only on the positives of the striker.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - the saviour
As has been the story of the season so far for Real Madrid, it was Cristiano Ronaldo (again) who rescued the club from the clutches of defeat. The 33-year-old goal machine scored an 87th-minute equalizer to save Madrid from losing their sixth league game of the season.
Ronaldo did, in fact, look sharp from the opening whistle in this match. Before his goal, Ronaldo had struck the crossbar with his looping header in the first half. He also had a shot saved brilliantly by Kepa.
But when the moment arrived late in the game, Ronaldo was at the right place at the right time to backheel Luka Modric's shot into the back of the net. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner showed tremendously impressive game sense to adjust his body and flick the ball perfectly; giving Kepa absolutely no chance to save this one.
The great man has now scored in 12 consecutive games for Real Madrid (WOW!). He is on a stunning goal spree which includes a staggering total of 25 goals being scored in his last 15 matches in all competitions.
