Four minutes of stoppage time separated Real Madrid from falling out of the title race, as a 0–0 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu against Athletic Bilbao would have left Los Blancos six points behind league leaders Barcelona with just six rounds to go — an almost impossible gap to close. But just when it seemed that Carlo Ancelotti’s side had run out of ideas in their effort to beat Unai Simon, a man known for scoring extraordinary goals stepped up — Federico Valverde — unleashing a rocket into the top corner to make it 1–0 (0–0).Golazoooooooooo de Valverde que vale 3 puntos para seguir en la pelea por la liga pic.twitter.com/jXGxKp2siB— Edinson Silva (@edinsonsilva07) April 20, 2025 The versatile Uruguayan reacted perfectly when the ball fell to him after a failed attempt by Brahim Díaz. A powerful half-volley followed, and Simon could only watch as the ball flew into his net. Instead of trailing by six, Real Madrid closed the gap to just four points. You could say that Valverde saved Kylian Mbappe from heavy criticism, as the French superstar was suspended for the match due to a reckless red card in the previous game against Alaves, and had to watch this one from the stands.The Frenchman looked tense and visibly frustrated throughout the match, and that only intensified toward the end as his teammates kept missing chances — especially after Vinícius Júnior’s goal was disallowed in the 80th minute due to Endrick being offside at the start of the move. But his expression changed dramatically once Valverde brought the Bernabéu to its feet. Athletic Bilbao were close to securing a goalless draw — just as they had against Villarreal and Rangers. However, Ernesto Valverde’s team didn’t look nearly as solid defensively as in those games. It was clear that the visitors were buckling under the pressure from the home side, and their trademark counter-attacks — which usually help ease the pressure on their back line — were notably absent.Ancelotti brought on Endrick to add some physical presence in the box, while Arda Güler, Brahim Díaz, and Lucas Vázquez provided a noticeable energy boost. Real Madrid pinned the visitors deep into their own box, forcing them to defend from within their penalty area. The goal felt inevitable. Despite everything, Unai Simón remained tough to beat — but there was no stopping Valverde’s thunderbolt, and Bilbao were ultimately forced to surrender.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 32FridayEspanyol – Getafe 1-0 (1-0)/Kumbulla 39/SaturdayRayo Vallecano – Valencia 1-1 (1-0)/Tarrega 45 og – Sadiq 75/Barcelona – Celta 4-3 (1-1)/Torres 12, Olmo 64, Raphinha 68, 90+7(p) – Iglesias 15, 52, 62/Mallorca – Leganes 0-0Las Palmas – Atl. Madrid 1-0 (0-0)/Munoz 90+3/SundayValladolid – Osasuna 2-3 (0-2)/Moro 49, Sylla 66(p) – Garcia 34, Budimir 9, 60 (p)/Villareal – Sociedad 2-2 (1-1)/Pino 7, Perez 60 – Oyrazabal 19, 49 (p)/Sevilla – Alaves 1-1 (1-1)/Fernandez 12 – Garcia 45+2/Real Madrid – Ath.Bilbao 1-0 (0-0)/Valverde 90+3/Monday22:00: (2.95) Girona (3.40) Betis (2.55)***odds are subject to change***
