La Liga: Rodrygo brace leads Real to 2-0 win over Bilbao

Rodrygo netted a goal in each half as Real Madrid secured a 2-0 home win against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, cementing its position at the top of the La Liga table.

Published : Apr 01, 2024 07:40 IST , MADRID - 1 MIN READ

Real Madrid’s Rodrygo celebrates scoring the second goal.
Real Madrid’s Rodrygo celebrates scoring the second goal. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
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Real Madrid’s Rodrygo celebrates scoring the second goal. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Rodrygo netted a goal in each half as Real Madrid secured a 2-0 home win against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, cementing its position at the top of the La Liga table.

Real has 75 points, eight ahead of Barcelona in second and 10 clear of third-placed Girona with eight matches left.

The result hit fourth-placed Bilbao’s hopes of securing a place in next season’s Champions League as it is only one point ahead of Atletico Madrid, who plays at Villarreal on Monday.

Rodrygo broke the deadlock after eight minutes, calmly curling the ball into the far corner after a composed run to the edge of the box, as the Bilbao defence failed to close down the Brazilian winger.

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Aurelien Tchouameni almost found the net with a powerful header from a corner just before halftime, but the ball narrowly missed the target, denying Real another goal.

In the 73rd minute, Rodrygo was played free on the wing by Jude Bellingham on a counter-attack, giving him time and space to run into the box and guide the ball into the bottom corner.

Bellingham returned from a two-match suspension to replace Vinicius Jr, who was suspended for this match after picking up five yellow cards.

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