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Athletic Bilbao have a reputaion for being one of the toughest fixtures in La Liga, and the trip to the new San Mames in Basque country has always been viewed with trepidation. Real Madrid, in the absence of captian Sergio Ramos as well as Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez, thus passed the first real test of the Rafa Benitez era, earning a 2-1 victory over the Basque outfit. Karim Benzema struck a double either side of an Athletic equaliser to secure all three points for Los Blancos as they took full advantage of Barca’s shock slip up to Celta de Vigo to go to the top of the La Liga table. On the other hand, Athletic languish near the bottom with just 3 points in their 5 games, having lost four.We take a look at 5 things learnt from the intense 90 minutes of action at San Mames.
#1 You just can\'t play a blind back pass
Athletic were holding up well in the first half, matching Real Madrid for their intensity in the game. And the fact that Madrid had already wasted a glut of chances in front of goal really wasn’t helping with the confidence levels of the Blancos strikers.
But as is often true in football, a lifetime of brilliance can be undone by just a moment of carelessness. A short goal-kick from Iraizoz, who had had a brillinat evening otherwise, keeping out everything thrown his way, saw defender San Jose play a weak back pass.
The defender didn’t notice Benzema who was lurking behind and the Frenchman didnt get where is today by being slack. Full credit to Benzema for remaining alert and sneaking in to poke home one of the easiest goals of his career.
The role of Iraizoz in the build-up to the goal too is questionable. Yes, the pass was underhit and probably should not have ben hit at all. But the Basque Goalkeeper, who had to fully commit himself and be strong in the challenge to clear the ball, instead was tipping on his heels, tentatively prodding a leg at the ball while a clinical Benzema poked home.
You just don’t hand Real Madrid such chances.
#2 Madrid\'s clean-sheet run comes to an end.
Real have had a spetacular start to the season, having not conceded a single goal in any of their past games. The resolute back line had remained unbroken and seemed to have luck on their side as well, with Granada having a perfectly legal goal getting written off at the Bernabeu.
This time though, there was no room for ambiguity, as Sabin Merino headed home. It was a streak that was bound to end, and in the absence of injured captain Sergio Ramos, was likely to be sooner rather than later.
But Madrid will be disappointed that Keylor Navas, who has hit a purple patch following a terrible summer where his move to Manchester United broke down in the wee hours of the deadline day, was left picking up the ball from the back of his net for the first time this season.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo\'s wait continues, Madrid has to be more clinical
Cristiano Ronaldo went into the match just three goals away from Raul's all-time goalscoring record for Real Madrid. We’ve seen Ronaldo netting five in a single game not too long ago, so anything is possible. But the night saw the Portuguese forward produce another blank.
After scoring eight goals in two games, Ronaldo has now scored none in the last two. At the end of the day, the only points that he got, were the three that truly mattered to Benitez. But for the second succesive week, it was Benzema that got Madrid past the finish line.
When their goalscoring machine goes missing, Madrid tend to look a much lesser threat. The side created chances aplenty with some slick one touch football, but when it came to the final product, they could not deliver the goods. Of the 22 shots Los Blancos managed to muster on goal, only half were on target.
And even after so many chances created, Real were made to wait till a slip up by Athletic to score their first goal. Better teams await, and Real cannot expect them to present them with a goal on a plate, as was the case last night.
#4 Benzema bails out Madrid - again!
Karim Benzema is on something of a hot-streak at the moment, having scored 6 goals in 5 games. It is a rare day at work when the attention is not on Cristiano Ronaldo, and the French forward revelled in the spotlight, recording the first entry in the score chart with a poacher’s finish following Mikel San Jose's woeful back pass.
After the Basque side had levelled with a superd diving header by Sabin Merino at the end of a smooth counter-attack move by Bilbao, it looked like Madrid would be going home with just the one point. But then Benzema appeared to poke home a seond half winner from close range, off a pass from Isco at the end of a 15-pass move that also involved a beauty of a turn from Luka Modric.
Madrid wasted far more chances than they converted though, with a strike from Mateo Kovacic, given a start in the absence of Bale, that went straight at the keeper when he really should have put the ball in the back of the net. It summed up the day for Les Merengues.
#5 The bigger picture in La Liga
A vital three points for Madrid while arch-rivals Barcelona slumped to a shock 4-1 defeat to Celta de Vigo, means that Madrid now top the La Liga table, level on points with Celta and Villarreal, but ahead on goal difference.
The performance, coming against the Basque outfit known for stepping up their game against the big fish, will come as a shot in the arm for Madrid who managed to pull it off in the absence of key players. The performance of Raphael Varane up against Aritz Aduriz, arguably one of the best marksmen in the top division, will be particularly heartening. The midfield too didn’t show that they were missing their top stars with Isco, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos combining well and getting forward at any chance.
For a team that boasts such quality across the field, the new La Liga season has gotten off to a disastrous start for the Basque outfit. Having entered the match after losing three of their first four La Liga games, another defeat is certainly disappointing blow this at this stage of the season. They are currently in 15th position – avoiding the relegation zone only because of their goal difference.
The Basques are one of only three teams in the La Liga to never be relegated, and they woud be looking to maintain that streak. And their performance against arguably the best team in the league at the moment will give them confidence to mount a charge to the higher reaches of the table. They certainly have the quality to do so.
