Soccer Football - LaLiga - Athletic Bilbao v Real Madrid - San Mames, Bilbao, Spain - December 4, 2024 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe before taking a penalty kick REUTERS/Vincent West
BILBAO, Spain (Reuters) -Kylian Mbappe missed his second penalty in a week as LaLiga champions Real Madrid slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, their fourth loss in the last seven games in all competitions.
Athletic were the aggressors throughout the first half against a harried Real Madrid who were short of ideas when in possession and toothless up front, going to the break with no shots on target.
Unbeaten for almost two months, Athletic finally managed to break the deadlock to take the lead thanks to a close-range effort by Alex Berenguer in the 53rd minute but Mbappe had a great chance to level from the spot after defender Antonio Ruediger was fouled 15 minutes later.
However, the French forward, who missed a spot-kick in the Champions League loss at Liverpool last week, stroked another weak shot that made it easy for Julen Agirrezabala to palm the effort away.
Still missing talisman Vinicius Jr and other key players like Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and Eduardo Camavinga to injuries, Real equalised in the 78th minute when Jude Bellingham fired home a rebound but a bad mistake by Federico Valverde gifted the ball to Gorka Guruzeta who struck the winner past a helpless Thibaut Courtois one minute later.
Real missed the chance to close the gap on leaders Barcelona who top the standings on 37 points, four ahead of second-placed Real who have a game in hand. Athletic Bilbao are fourth on 29 points.
It was another uninspired performance by Mbappe who has missed two of his five penalties for Real Madrid in all competitions, making him the LaLiga player who has failed to convert most penalties this season.
Mbappe arrived with sky-high expectations to boost a stellar Real Madrid squad who won last season's LaLiga and Champions League titles, but so he has been a shadow of his old self, looking tentative and out of sync from the rest of the team.
He has scored 10 goals in Real's 21 games in all competitions, only seven from open play.
At Bilbao, he was a non factor until he fired an angled strike from the edge of the box late in the second half that Athletic goalkeeper Agirrezabala palmed straight to Bellingham who stroke home the rebound to equalise.
Rodrygo wasted a golden opportunity to get Real the lead in the next play but Valverde's error which handed substitute Guruzeta the winner raised more questions about Real's form with Mbappe firmly under the spotlight.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas, editing by Ed Osmond)
