La Liga — Mbappe braces himself as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0

An inspired Kylian Mbappe scored two fantastic goals to guide Real Madrid to an impressive 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, ending their three-match winless run in La Liga.

The win leaves Madrid in second place with 36 points from 15 games, one behind leaders Barcelona.

Madrid started well, with Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon taking action in the first minutes. Misjudgments by the home defense created chances for Mbappé and Vinicius Jr., but Simon denied both with exceptional saves. However, the host’s resistance crumbled in the seventh minute.

Receiving a long ball near the halfway line, Mbappe pushed aside two defenders in a dynamic solo run before curling a stunning strike from the edge of the penalty area into the top corner.

The combination of Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. terrorized Bilbao’s defense throughout the first half, although Madrid’s attackers were often wasteful in front of goal.

Bilbao almost punished Madrid for missed chances in the 24th minute when Gorka Guruzeta intercepted Federico Valverde’s wayward pass and unleashed a fierce attack, before Thibaut Courtois produced a brilliant reflex save.

Moments later, Courtois thwarted Alex Berenguer’s effort from close range in another display of his agility.

Madrid doubled their lead just before halftime. A patient build-up culminated in Trent Alexander-Arnold delivering an accurate cross from the right wing to the far post. Mbappé nodded the ball back inside the six-yard box, where Eduardo Camavinga headed in from close range.

Before half-time, however, Courtois still had time to make another great stop, denying Mikel Jauregizar’s thunderous shot from outside the penalty area.

Madrid slowed the pace in the second half, but Mbappé was far from finished. In the 59th minute, seeing Simon marginally out of position, the French forward unleashed another curling effort from outside the penalty area to seal the victory.

It was Mbappe’s 16th goal in 15 La Liga games this season, double the eight goals scored by Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, who sits second in the La Liga scoring charts.

«It was an important match because we wanted to break the (bad) dynamic,» Madrid manager Xabi Alonso told a news conference.

«We came in with the necessary preparation and rest. The team played a very complete match. It is the most well-rounded match we have played so far, and in a demanding stadium. Now we have to persevere.»

The comprehensive win will give Alonso some much-needed momentum as he looks to close the gap on Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

They play Celta Vigo on Sunday before hosting Manchester City in a highly anticipated Champions League match at the Santiago Bernabeu on December 10.

Published on December 4, 2025