Highlights and goals of Real Madrid 2-0 Athletic Club in LaLiga

Thank you all for joining us in this intense duel with an exciting ending, it has been a pleasure being with all of you. See you all again!

¡ESTO ES FÚTBOL!😍

El Real Madrid tiró la pelota fuera para que Militao pudiera recibir todo el cariño de la afición tras su lesión#LALIGAenDAZN ⚽ pic.twitter.com/KnpNM6gFai — DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) March 31, 2024

Important victory for Real Madrid to recover the eight-point lead with FC Barcelona. Rodrygo was decisive with a double. One of the big news was the return of Eder Militao. On the part of Athletic Club, the bad news in addition to the defeat has been Yeray's injury.

The referee whistles for Berenguer's foul and we enter the last minute.

First balls that Militao touches, who receives applause every time he touches the ball

Lunin throws the ball out for Eder Militao to enter. Dani Carvajal leaves, standing at the Santiago Bernabéu to see the Brazilian again.

Four minutes of added time. We will go until 94'

Luka Modric failed to pass in an attempt to change the game.

Attention that Rudiger and Muniain face each other. While Militao has already finished warming up and is going to jump onto the field, he is going to reappear

Yellow for Ruiz de la Galarreta who will miss the next game after the entry of Eduardo Camavinga. Villarreal will not be against

Five minutes left in the game. Real Madrid has control of the match

Julen's shot was eaten up by Rudiger, but Nacho rectified and cleared the ball. Real Madrid has the ball again

Bellingham cuts, fell against Lekue and the referee did not call a foul. Jude and Carlo Ancelotti get angry

Pay attention that Militao comes out to warm up and the Bernabéu applauds the Brazilian, who could have minutes. The center responds, returning applause

Triple change at Real Madrid. Rodrygo, Fede Valverde and Toni Kroos leave. Lucas Vázquez, Eduardo Camavinga and Luka Modric jump onto the field

Corner for Athletic Club that Lunin blocked. Attention that Fede Valverde has been left on the ground and it seems that he is going to be replaced

Rudiger put the tip of his foot so that Muniain's shot was not comfortable and Lunin saved

Muniain enters in the last change for Athletic Club. The captain replaces Sancet

15 goals for Rodrygo. Ancelotti celebrated it with euphoria due to the importance of this goal.

REAL MADRID GOAL. GOAL BY RODRYGO

Real Madrid counterattack, which Rodrygo ends with a cut inside the area and ends up sending the ball into the back of the net. Double from the Brazilian to put the second

Brahim leaves for Joselu in Real Madrid's first change. While the lateral foul was finished off by Williams and went over the goal.

Nacho is yellow for stopping the counterattack. Carvajal did not hit him and led to the transition of Athletic Club

Lateral center from the left, which Rudiger clears. Next, another lateral cross, which Nacho takes and Real Madrid plays the ball well.

We remember that Athletic Club has one change left. While Ancelotti has not made any changes.

Dani Carvajal joined the attack and put in a cross, which Julen saved.

If Real Madrid maintains the advantage on the scoreboard, they would be able to return to the eight-point advantage over FC Barcelona

¡Qué parada de Lunin ante un disparo a quemarropa de Williams! 👋⛔🔥#LALIGAenDAZN ⚽ pic.twitter.com/WRRiCUpsjl — DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) March 31, 2024

Kroos gave the corner kick and the referee whistled a foul on Rudiger's attack.

Rodrigo's clash with Vivian. There will be a corner for Real Madrid, which Kroos will take.

Iñaki Williams counterattacked. Edu Ares is creating danger

Carvajal lost control after cutting inside the area. Only Rodrygo was on the left

Real Madrid called for a penalty after Rodrygo fell. The referee says there is an offside, although in that action there is no offside because it is Vesga who gives the back pass. Confusion at the Bernabéu, but the match has already resumed.

Triple change for Athletic Club. Ruiz de la Galarreta, Yuri and Edu Ares enter. Instead of Beñat Prados, Guruzeta and Óscar de Marcos

Yellow to Tchouaméni for the Vesga entrance. The first card of the meeting

Bellingham fell in the area due to Vivian's charge, although the match referee says there is nothing

Real Madrid is not comfortable coming out of the pressure from Athletic Club. By the way, there is going to be a triple change at Athletic Club

Real Madrid moved well, ending with a shot from Brahim, which went wide. The second busy part has started

What a mistake by Madrid to defend the corner. Corner kick that Iñaki Williams finished alone, but Lunin appeared to make a brilliant save

Good action by Rodrygo, who assisted Brahim, who crossed it, but the ball hit the woodwork. Real Madrid had the chance to extend the lead on the scoreboard. There will now be a corner, although Carvajal has been left in pain

Warm up Joselu, Camavinga. There are also several Athletic Club players warming up

The second part begins. There are no changes in any of the two teams. We remember that in the first half Yeray retired injured

Despejar con nervios de acero nivel Vivian 🥶#LALIGAenDAZN ⚽ pic.twitter.com/00Acndbn2k — DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) March 31, 2024

Real Madrid leads the scoreboard with Rodrygo's goal at the start. The bad news of the first 45 minutes is Yeray's injury, a week before the Copa del Rey final. After the goal, some rhythm was lost, and although Tchouaméni had the second after a header

Too long center from Óscar de Marcos and it could be the last of the first part 

Shot by Guruzeta, which Lunin catches without problems. There will be two minutes of stoppage time in this first half

Second corner in favor of Real Madrid. Tchouaméni finished off the cross with a header after Kroos's corner kick. The Frenchman won the duel against Paredes, but the ball went just wide

Wall between Fede Valverde towards Brahim, who was looking for Bellingham, but Vivian took it for a corner.

Corner placed by Berenguer, again at the near post, and Carvajal appeared to clear with his head

Final stretch of the first half. Corner in favor of Athletic Club after Iñaki's center, which touched Mendy

Corner kick that Kroos took, Guruzeta cleared and the volley fell to Valverde who hit him, but Julen appeared to get a good hand

Great pressure from Rodrygo, who forces Julen to clear high and Ancelotti's team recovers the ball. While Rodrygo takes a corner in favor of Real Madrid. The Brazilian asks the fans for encouragement

Foul on Tchouaméni and it seems that the two teams have given themselves a truce at the moment

Rudiger's long pass to Brahim cut off Athletic's defense, but the ball fell to Real Madrid again

Touch the ball in Berenguer and Real Madrid will take it from the sideline. The pace has slowed somewhat at the Santiago Bernabéu

Good combination from Real Madrid where Bellingham let it pass, Kroos hit it, it touched Vivian and it was tame into the hands of the Athletic Club goalkeeper

Throw-in taken by Lekue and the lions delay the ball to start making the play

Half an hour of play at the Bernabéu. Real Madrid is in charge thanks to Rodrygo's goal

𝗥eal 𝗥odrygo. 🤍#LALIGAHighlights | @RodrygoGoes pic.twitter.com/poHasRrn1s — LALIGA (@LaLiga) March 31, 2024

Rudiger wins the race against Berenguer. Real Madrid's German central defender is very fast

Real Madrid moved the ball well, although they lost it, but good defensive work, they recovered the ball again

They stole the ball from Jude Bellingham

Forced change at Athletic Club. Yeray leaves injured and Vivian enters, who has just played the break with the Spanish National Team. He came in barely warmed up.

Be careful, Yeray hits the ground and it seems like he won't be able to continue. Vivian is warming up and will have to go out and be careful because Athletic Club will play the Copa del Rey final in a week

Jude Bellingham recovered, but Real Madrid lost the ball and there will be a corner after Nacho touches it

Individual play by Rodrygo, who was going with the ball, but the ball appeared. Yeray to steal the ball

Iñaki delays and the lions have long possession. Although Rea Madrid is also comfortable without the ball

Good Beñat Prados at the cross when Brahim was with the ball inside the area. Goal kick for Athletic Club

Shot by Jude Bellingham, which hits Iñaki Williams, but the redo falls to Kroos and he already builds a new play

👏 Histórico.

🌟👔 Ernesto Valverde se convierte en el entrenador con más partidos en #LALIGAEASPORTS en el S.XXI (511), superando a Joaquín Caparrós. pic.twitter.com/joONdf0Ion — LALIGA (@LaLiga) March 31, 2024

Long ball to Brahim, who does not arrive, but Julen does, who takes the ball

Center by Álex Berenguer who walked around the area and no one touched the ball

Rodrygo's second goal in 2024

Foul in attack by Sancet, who slapped Jude Bellingham.

REAL MADRID GOAL. GOAL BY RODRYGO.

The game changed from Brahim to Rodrygo, who after an individual play and a shot from the edge of the area managed to put Real Madrid ahead on the scoreboard.

Rodrygo recovers and Ancelotti's men come out from the first line with the first touch. The white box is not comfortable at the start

Real Madrid is playing today with Jude Bellingham as a false '9'. Brahim on the right and Rodrygo on the left, while long possession for Athletic Club

Another corner for Athletic Club after Fede Valverde's clearance. The Uruguayan is with a bandage today

The corner was taken at the near post and Carvajal cleared. In the redo, a center escaped Lunin and again a corner for Valverde's team.

Corner in favor of Athletic Club after a bad pass behind by Rodrygo

Julen is a starter today to gain confidence and he will also be a starter in the Copa del Rey final.

STARTS THE MATCH. The first possession at the Santiago Bernabéu is for Athletic Club, which today plays in white, Real Madrid debuts its fourth kit, which is purple

The 22 protagonists greet each other. The Real Madrid anthem plays at the Santiago Bernabéu, which presents a magnificent atmosphere today

Athletic Club has not won at the Santiago Bernabéu for 20 years. The last victory was in the 2004/05 season

That is one of Ancelotti's doubts against Manchester City in the Champions League. These have been the data with the Frenchman and the captain

Alberola Rojas: Main Referee

J. Pulido Santana: VAR Referee

Rodríguez Moreno: Assistant

Raúl Cabañero: Assistant

Lopez Parra: 4th Referee

Although both teams are in the top positions, they have different objectives. Real Madrid wants to continue with the lead, right now only five after FC Barcelona's victory against UD Las Palmas. While Athletic Club fights to enter the Champions League, there is only one point difference with Atlético de Madrid

Today Real Madrid's rival played in the quarterfinals of the Champions League in an important match for the title and did not go beyond a goalless draw against Arsenal. Guardiola's men are third in the Premier League

Eder Militao after suffering a torn cruciate ligament on August 12, precisely at Athletic Club's home, returns to the squad after a long recovery work. The Brazilian central defender could have minutes again today and it is not ruled out that he plays against Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League

Jude Bellingham has not played in LaLiga since March 2, 2024 at Mestalla where he was sent off with the game already over due to the controversial ending. Despite the sanction, he has been with England in this national team break where he has scored

🆒 @BellinghamJude 🆒#Y3 | #adidas | #YohjiYamamoto pic.twitter.com/sFYks1H7ZW

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 31, 2024

The Brazilian received the fifth yellow card against CA Osasuna before the national team break and will not play again until the Champions League match against Manchester City, on April 9

In the run-up to the match, Athletic Club announced that Nico Williams would not be at the Santiago Bernabéu. The international with the Spanish National Team suffers an overload in the hamstring muscles of his right leg

👋 @Camavinga
👋 @AndreyLunin13 #RealMadridAthletic pic.twitter.com/UToRIU9Wno — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 31, 2024

🧘 Totalmente concentrados.#RealMadridAthletic #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/xKrJvL8Kkm

— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) March 31, 2024

"We are going to go with everything, with the intention of winning, if we can and if we can't, draw. We have not competed for a long time after international commitments," said the Athletic Club coach in the press conference prior to the match.

💪 “Vamos a ir a Madrid con la intención de ganar”

🎙️ Ernesto Valverde, en la previa del #RealMadridAthletic de mañana.#AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/3MPnTyZjI6

— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) March 30, 2024

The Real Madrid coach at the press conference explained that "Athletic Club has a week to prepare for the Cup final and they are going to play hard because the Champions League is very important for them. They are not thinking about playing in the final. They want to score points at the Bernabéu."

Regarding the match against the Italian, he added that "it is an important match; Athletic is having a great season and plays with great intensity."

This is Ernesto Valverde's eleven in which he makes some rotations thinking about the final in a week. There is a change in the goal, Unai Simón is a substitute, so it can be assumed that he will play in the Copa del Rey final

Bellingham returns after serving a suspension. Brahim will play Vinicius, while Camavinga will start from the bench

In a few minutes the match between Real Madrid and Athletic Club will start, both the preview and the minute by minute of the match can be followed here on VAVEL

In a few moments we will share with you the starting lineups for Real Madrid vs Athletic Club as well as the latest information from the Santiago Bernabeu. Stay tuned to VAVEL's minute-by-minute live online coverage of the match.

If you want to watch the Real Madrid vs Athletic match, it will be available on  ESPN Deportes and ESPN+

If you want to watch it online, VAVEL is your best option.

This is the kick-off time of the match in several countries:

Argentina: 4 p.m.

Australia: 6 a.m. 

Bolivia: 3 p.m. 

Brazil: 4 p.m.

Chile: 4 p.m. 

Colombia: 14 hours 

Ecuador: 14 hours 

Spain: 21 hours 

United States (New York): 3 p.m. 

United States (Los Angeles): 11 hours 

India: 1 hour 

Japan: 4 hours 

Mexico: 13 hours 

Nigeria: 20 hours 

Paraguay: 16 hours 

Peru: 14 hours

United Kingdom: 19 hours

Gorka Guruzeta, a 27-year-old Athletic Club attacker who has 15 goals and three assists in 31 games. He went into the international break scoring in his last two games. He has managed to score in four of the last five matches he has played. 

Jude Bellingham is starting to become a Real Madrid star despite being in his first season with the club and is the top scorer in LaLiga with 16 goals and three assists. However, the English midfielder has not scored in the league competition since February 10. In this break he was a starter in the two matches with the England national team. He returns to LaLiga after being suspended after being sent off with a straight red card against Valencia. 

They have now won four consecutive matches. Before leaving for the break they won 2-0 against Alavés. The 'lions', besides disputing next week the final of the Copa del Rey against Mallorca, are fighting to play next season in the UEFA Champions League. Right now they are fourth in LaLiga with 56 points, although only one point ahead of Atletico Madrid. 

Last five matches

Athletic Club 2-0 Alavés : LaLiga: March 16, 2024

Las Palmas 0-2 Athletic Club : LaLiga: 10 March 2024

Athletic Club 0-0 FC Barcelona | LaLiga: March 3, 2024

Athletic Club 3-0 Atlético de Madrid : LaLiga: 29 February 2024

Real Betis 3-1 Athletic Club : LaLiga: 25 February 2024

Real Madrid has won two consecutive victories. Before the break, they won 2-4 against CA Osasuna. They have only lost one match in LaLiga this season. They are the leaders of LaLiga EA Sports with 72 points, eight ahead of FC Barcelona, who are second and ten ahead of Girona. The last time Carlo Ancelotti's side lost was in the Copa del Rey against Atlético de Madrid where they were defeated in the Copa del Rey last January 18. 

Last five matches

Osasuna 2-4 Real Madrid : LaLiga: March 16, 2024

Real Madrid 4-0 Celta de Vigo: LaLiga: March 10, 2024

Real Madrid 1-1 RB Leipzig | UEFA Champions League: 6 March 2024

Valencia 2-2 Real Madrid | LaLiga: March 2, 2024

Real Madrid 1-0 Sevilla | LaLiga: 25 February 2024

The balance of clashes between these two teams is in favor of Real Madrid, which has won 123 times, 77 times Athletic Club has won, while on 45 occasions they have ended in a draw. The last time they met was at San Mamés on August 12, 2023, where the Merengues won by 0-2 with goals from Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo. 

Last five meetings 

Athletic Club 0-2 Real Madrid | LaLiga: 12 August 2023

Real Madrid 1-1 Athletic Club : LaLiga: 4 June 2023

Athletic Club 0-2 Real Madrid | LaLiga: 22 January 2023

Athletic Club 1-0 Real Madrid | Copa del Rey: 3 February 2022

Athletic Club 0-2 Real Madrid | Supercopa de España: 16 January 2022

The match will be played at the Santiago Bernabéu, which was inaugurated in December 1947 and has a capacity for 8,104 spectators.

Real Madrid and Athletic Club will meet this Sunday, March 31, 2024 in the match corresponding to the 30th LaLiga EA Sports matchday. 

My name is Manuel Carmona Hidalgo and I will be your host for this match. We will provide you with pre-match analysis and news here live on VAVEL.