Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Real Madrid: Jude Bellingham scores on La Liga debut as Carlo Ancelotti’s side impress in opener

Real Madrid got their season off to a strong start against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames, with goals from Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham giving them a routine 2-0 win.

The early exchanges felt strangely muted as the two sides struggled to raise the tempo above a pre-season stroll.

Athletic shaded the first 15 minutes or so, but Real went close when Federico Valverde sent a dipping shot just over the crossbar.

WIth 20 minutes gone, Jude Bellingham – making his first competitive start for Real – played in Rodrygo, who drew a smart save from Unai Simon. Otherwise, though, the visitors lacked fluency, trading misplaced passes with their opponents.

Then, just before the half-hour mark, Real went ahead with a bolt from the blue. Rodrygo cut in off the right flank and played a clever one-two with Dani Carvajal, bursting into the box before beating Simon at his near post.

Bellingham doubled the visitors’ lead soon afterwards, latching on to a corner delivery from David Alaba with a bouncing shot which looped over Simon and into the back of the net. He celebrated with arms thrown wide, drawing deafening boos and whistles from the home fans.

Athletic tried to find a foothold in the second half but to no avail, their best chance coming via Alex Berenguer when, having capitalised on a mistake from Toni Kroos, he got in behind only to be denied by a timely intervention from Aurelien Tchouameni.

The only blemish as far as Carlo Ancelotti was concerned was a serious-looking injury to Eder Militao, who went down in agony after slipping in a challenge and had to be helped from the field.

Dream La Liga debut for Bellingham. Given that his every move was under the microscope from the first minute onwards, Bellingham looked remarkably at ease as he made his competitive bow for Los Blancos.

Calm and collected on the ball, he struck a fine balance between orchestrating the attack from an advanced position and disrupting the play when Real were out of possession. On top of an impressive all-round performance, he marked his first outing in La Liga with an eye-catching goal.

Rodrygo (Real Madrid). While Bellingham stood out in midfield, Rodrygo was the man who made the visitors tick up front.

With Vinicius Jr energetic but unfocused on the opposite flank, it was left to his fellow Brazilian to provide the cutting edge. His opening goal swung the momentum decisively in Real’s favour, while his drifting runs through the middle kept Athletic’s defence guessing for much of the match.

Athletic Bilbao: Simon 7, De Marcos 6, Vivian 7, Paredes 6, Lekue 5, Galarreta 6, Vesga 6, Muniain 4, Gomez 5, N Williams 6, I Williams 4.

Subs: Berenguer 6, Sancet 6, Guruzeta 5, Herrera 5, Imanol 5.

Real Madrid: Lunin 7, Carvajal 8, Militao 7, Alaba 7, Garcia 7, Tchouameni 8, Valverde 6, Camavinga 6, Bellingham 8, Rodrygo 8, Vinicius Jr 6.

Subs: Rudiger 6, Kroos 4, Modric 6, Joselu 5.

12’ GOOD EFFORT! Real win their first corner after some smart play from Bellingham. Carvajal goes down softly under the lightest touch from Unai Gomez, but the referee isn’t fooled. Alaba steps up and sends in an inswinging cross, but it’s cleared at the cost of another corner. Real play it short and Valverde finds himself in space on the edge of the box, unleashing a shot which whistles over the crossbar.

28’ GOAL! And, just like that, we have our opener. Rodrygo cuts in off the right flank and plays a sharp one-two with Carvajal, charging into the box and slotting beneath Simon to give Real the lead.

36’ GOAL! Bellingham makes it 2-0, meeting Alaba’s corner delivery with a shot which bounces down into the turf and over Simon. The Athletic goalkeeper is left stranded as the ball tumbles into the net.

48’ MILITAO OFF INJURED. Militao slips in a challenge and crumples to the turf in agony, drawing a worried reaction from nearby teammates. He receives treatment but cannot continue and, having been helped off the field, he is replaced by Antonio Rudiger.

75’ BIG MISS! Kroos loses the ball to Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta on the edge of his own area and Berenguer nips in behind, shooting from close range. Tchouameni gets a touch, deflecting it just wide.

• According to Opta, Bellingham is the third-youngest player to score on his Real Madrid debut in the 21st century after Rodrygo and Eduardo Camavinga.
• Rodrygo has scored four goals in his last four La Liga games for Real, one more than in his previous 27 league matches.