Mbappe shines brightly as Real Madrid continues to chase Barca in La Liga

(Football results) - Real Madrid showed a strong display at San Mamés by beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 on the morning of December 4th, halting their losing streak and staying close behind Barcelona.

In the early hours of December 4th (Vietnam time), Real Madrid visited San Mamés to face Athletic Bilbao in the 15th round of La Liga 2025/26. The squad led by coach Xabi Alonso delivered a convincing 3-0 victory, ending a three-match winless streak and keeping pace with Barcelona in the standings.

Real Madrid started strong and quickly made a difference. In the 7th minute, Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring with a classy move: dribbling past defenders then curling a precise shot into the right corner, leaving Unai Simon helpless. After the opener, the visitors grew more confident and kept up the pressure with fast combinations between Vinicius Junior, Mbappe, and Valverde.

Athletic Bilbao also had moments of strong resistance. Gorka Guruzeta and Nico Williams created some threatening chances, but Thibaut Courtois performed excellently, blocking several dangerous shots from the home side. Just as the game was balancing out, Real Madrid unexpectedly doubled their lead in the 42nd minute. From a precise cross, Eduardo Camavinga rose high to head the ball past Simon, making it 2-0.

In the second half, Real Madrid kept control despite several injuries. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Camavinga had to leave due to injuries, but the white team's gameplay remained intact. The decisive moment came in the 59th minute when Mbappe unleashed a powerful long-range shot from outside the box, driving the ball into the left corner of the goal, completing his brace and extending the lead to 3-0.

The final minutes saw Athletic Bilbao push hard, but Real Madrid’s defense, especially Rudiger, stayed composed and effectively neutralized threats. The match ended 3-0 in favor of Real Madrid, allowing Los Blancos to continue their two-horse race with Barcelona, trailing by just one point after 15 rounds.

Information Team status Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid

• Athletic Bilbao:Alvarez, Eglluz, Laporte, Diaz, Sannadi, Williams are injured. Navarro’s participation is uncertain.
• Real Madrid:David Alaba, Daniel Carvajal, Dean Huijsen, Raul Asencio are sidelined with injuries.

Lineups Expected lineups Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid

• Athletic Bilbao:Simon, Berchiche, Paredes, Vivian, Gorosabel, Jauregizar, Ruiz de Galarreta, Nico Williams, Sanchez, Berenguer, Guruzeta.
• Real Madrid:Courtois, Federico Valverde, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao, Alvaro Carreras, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe.

Form & Head-to-head record

• Athletic Bilbao form:In their last 5 matches, Athletic Bilbao won 2, drew 1, and lost 2. They scored 3 goals and conceded 6.
• Real Madrid form:In their last 5 games, Real Madrid won 1, drew 3, and lost 1. They scored 7 goals and conceded 7.
• Head-to-head record:In the last 5 meetings, Athletic Bilbao won 1, drew 1, and lost 3. Real Madrid won 3, drew 1, and lost 1.

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