Rodrygo Leads Real Madrid to Victory Against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga Clash

With a 2-0 victory against Athletic Bilbao at home on Sunday, Rodrygo scored a goal in either half to help Real Madrid maintain their lead in the La Liga standings.

With eight games remaining, Real leads third-place Girona by ten points and leads Barcelona by eight points in second place with 75 points.

Because Bilbao is just one point ahead of Atletico Madrid, who play at Villarreal next, the outcome hurt their chances of qualifying for the Champions League the following season. Bilbao is now ranked fourth.

After eight minutes, with the Bilbao defense unable to contain the Brazilian winger, Rodrygo broke the stalemate with a controlled move to the outside of the box and a beautiful curling shot into the far corner.

barely before halftime, Aurelien Tchouameni almost put Real Madrid ahead with a strong header from a corner, but the ball barely missed the mark.

Rodrygo was given room and time to move into the area and direct the ball into the bottom corner during Jude Bellingham's counterattack in the 73rd minute.

Vinicius Jr. was banned for this match after five yellow cards; Bellingham served his two-match sentence and was reinstated.

Regarding Rodrygo, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said, "He played very well, made the difference with some high-quality plays."

Following the game, the Brazilian said that he does not see Kylian Mbappé's potential arrival as a danger.

Based on what everyone has been saying, Rodrygo believes he is close to signing.

"My only goal is to have a strong season finale. The coach might have a pleasant dilemma for the next season. I'm not concerned.

Returning is Militao

During stoppage time, Eder Militao, who has been out for Real Madrid since August because of an ACL injury, received a standing ovation from the Bernabeu fans.

The return of his Brazilian defender to action pleased Ancelotti.

He said, "We are talking about one of the world's best defenders, and he is important to us."

"He needs some time to adjust before he can resume playing. During this latter stretch of the season, we'll need him.

On April 9, Real will play host to Manchester City in the much awaited first leg of their quarterfinal Champions League match.

"We will concentrate on our game even if we are quite familiar with them.

Ancelotti said, "We still have time to offer more energy than we did today (Sunday).

Ernesto Valverde, the manager of Bilbao, was eager to downplay the team's defeat to Real Madrid ahead of their Copa Del Rey final matchup against Mallorca on Saturday.

"Right now, we're concentrating on the next week and competing in the final. We need to approach it with drive and excitement," he said.