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Real Madrid 1–0 Athletic Club La Liga – Fede Valverde Connects a Clutch Half Volley in Stoppage Time, Player Rating, Ancelotti Post-Match Reaction and More

Fede Valverde now has 10 G/A in La Liga this season.

image via - @realmadrid/ X

Real Madrid was tested by the Athletic Club on their visit to Santiago Bernabeu. Keeping the ball for almost three-quarters of the game, Carlo Ancelotti’s side had nothing to show until Federico Valverde stepped up with one of his typical volley. The Uruguayan put Real Madrid ahead at home in the stoppage time as the Los Blancos collected crucial three points.

Ancelotti’s side will continue to breathe under FC Barcelona as they close to four points with six games to go. Valverde who has been filling in the right-back position scored the sixth La Liga goal of his season. He now has 10 G/A in the Spanish League as he continues to show his versatility in the back line.

FEDERICO VALVERDE ARE YOU SERIOUS??!!

VALVERDE WITH A HALF VOLLEY TO SAVE MADRID! CLUTCH PLAYER! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xbKZBTg9L8
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 20, 2025

Federico Valverde Was the POTM Against Athletic Club

Valverde was named as the player of the match against Athletic Bilbao. Completing 93% of his passes, the 26-year-old won all of his duels of the game. Ancelotti will be pleased with the rescue given the stakes of the competition.

Here is an overview of Valverde’s match-winning performance against Atheltic Club (via-SofaScore):

Metric	Value
Sofascore Rating	8.8
Goals	1
Clearances	3
Tackles	4
Key Passed	3/3
Pass Completion Rate	66/71 (93%)

Ancelotti who has had an emotional week after the Champions League exit was seen thrilled at full-time. Appreciating Valverde at the whistle, the Italian the manager grabbed the Uruguayan in the adrenaline.

📸 – VALVERDE AND ANCELOTTI AFTER THE FT WHISTLE! pic.twitter.com/Xk52gNlgLb
— The Touchline | Football Coverage (@TouchlineX) April 20, 2025

ALSO READ: ‘I Will Do Nothing But Thank the Club If I Leave’ – Ancelotti Reflects After Real Madrid’s Arsenal Rout

Real Madrid attempted 22 shots in the 90 minutes while struggling to open the deadlock. However, failing to surpass the Athletic defence, it took something special like Valverde’s goal from distance to seal the deal.

Athletic Club coming after their Europa League semi-final qualifications looked second-best in the final moments. They still retain their fourth position on the La Liga table despite suffering their fourth away defeat of the season.

Real Madrid retained their position of having the best record at home losing only two games. They will keep their heads on the next games as they hope for Barcelona slip on one of these match days. Additionally, any luck on their side and the El Clasico game on May 11, 2025 could come in as a decider of La Liga this year around.

Athletic Bilbao

Carlo Ancelotti

Federico Valverde

La Liga

Real Madrid

Mayur Dedwal

soccer

I’m a Sports Content Writer with expertise in football. Being a decade old football enthusiast and part-time coach, I try to bring to life to the articles in a statistical manner. Being around all kinds of sports updates and able to put in my perspective’s to the happenings in the world of football are few of the many things i like in doing what i do. You can find me playing Sunday leagues or Xbox on weekends!