San Mamés has been a true fortress in the Ernesto Valverde era: Athletic Bilbao have lost just one of their last 26 home games in La Liga. That confidence allowed the home side to attack Real Madrid from the start, with Courtois having to save a dangerous Nico Williams shot after just four minutes.

Controversy erupted in the 14th minute when Rodrygo went down in the Athletic box after being tackled by Gorosabel, but the referee not only refused to award a penalty but also disallowed Mbappe’s goal shortly afterwards. Athletic almost took the lead on the half-hour mark, Inaki Williams scoring a fine backheel, but Berenguer shot over the bar despite the goal being wide open.

The home side finally got their moment of joy just eight minutes into the second half. Berenguer took advantage of a close-range chance after Courtois struggled to keep out Nico Williams’ cross, opening the scoring for Athletic.

Real Madrid immediately pushed forward in search of an equaliser, and in the 68th minute they were awarded a penalty when Rudiger was punched in the back of the head by goalkeeper Agirrezabala. However, Agirrezabala himself made an excellent save from Mbappe’s penalty spot.

In the 78th minute, Agirrezabala failed to save Mbappe’s long-range shot, allowing Bellingham to charge in to level the score at 1-1. However, just 2 minutes later, Federico Valverde lost the ball in midfield, and super-sub Guruzeta quickly took advantage with a tricky finish, restoring Athletic’s lead.

The home team then played solidly to protect their goal in the remaining minutes, winning 2-1 and extending their unbeaten streak to 10 matches in all competitions.