Real Madrid Destroy Athletic Bilbao 3–0 as Mbappé Bags a Brace in Their Best Performance of the Season

Analysis by Hikaru Sakamoto

Match: Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid
Wednesday, 3 December 2025

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Real Madrid Silence Crisis Talk with a Stunning 3–0 Win over Athletic Bilbao — Mbappé Scores Twice to Reach 25 Goals in 20 Matches

Under pressure and surrounded by growing rumours of Xabi Alonso’s potential dismissal, Real Madrid delivered their best performance of the season with a dominant 3–0 victory away at San Mamés against Athletic Club in La Liga’s rescheduled Matchday 19 fixture.

Madrid had entered the match with just one win from their previous five games, struggling particularly against deep-lying defensive blocks. But against a high-pressing Athletic Bilbao side, the dynamics suited them perfectly.
Jude Bellingham dictated the midfield with constant movement and flawless technique, while Kylian Mbappéshowcased his unmatched scoring instincts — the pair reminding everyone why they’re considered two of the best players in the world.

⚽ Early Breakthrough — Mbappé Magic in the 7th Minute

Real Madrid struck early.
Receiving the ball centrally in the 7th minute, Mbappé dribbled past two defenders, drove to the edge of the box, and unleashed a powerful right-footed strike into the net to make it 1–0.

Madrid continued to create chance after chance through Mbappé, Bellingham, and Vinícius Jr., though Athletic also threatened on the counter.
Whenever danger appeared, Thibaut Courtois produced trademark world-class saves to keep Madrid ahead.

⚽ Second Goal — Camavinga Finishes Off a Brilliant Move (42′)

Just before halftime, Madrid doubled their lead.
A Trent Alexander-Arnold cross was nodded down by Mbappé, allowing Eduardo Camavinga to smash the ball home for 2–0.

⚽ Mbappé Again — A Lethal Curler for 3–0 (59′)

The decisive moment came early in the second half.
From the left side of the box, Mbappé struck a curling rocket into the near post — a goal of pure technique and confidence.

That finish brings Mbappé’s tally to:

• 25 goals in 20 matches this season
• 16 goals in 15 La Liga appearances

An outrageous scoring pace.

Full-Time: Real Madrid 3–0 Athletic Club

Madrid controlled the remainder of the match and closed out a comfortable 3–0 victory.
Amid crisis whispers, they responded with their sharpest, most complete display of the campaign, snapping a four-match winless run in La Liga and staying just one point behind leaders Barcelona.

A crisis? Not tonight.
Real Madrid looked every bit like title contenders again.

scorer
Athletic Bilbao 0–3 Real Madrid

scorers
7’ Kylian Mbappé (RMA)
42’ Eduardo Camavinga (RMA)
59’ Kylian Mbappé (RMA)

The Bigger Picture

What supporters took most clearly from this match was simple: things finally clicked.
The 3–0 scoreline mattered, but what truly stood out was how clear the performance looked from start to finish.

At the center of everything was Kylian Mbappé.
The comments say it all — “give him even a little space and he destroys teams,” “a different breed,” “untouchable.” Two goals only tell part of the story. His movement, his presence, and even a headed assist dictated the entire game. Right now, Mbappé is being seen exactly as he is: a player opponents simply cannot contain.

But this win wasn’t celebrated for Mbappé alone.
The second goal became the reference point for everything fans had been waiting to see.

• Jude Bellingham drops slightly on the ball, forcing Bilbao’s back line to step up.
• Eduardo Camavinga reads it and attacks the space.
• Mbappé senses the moment and lays it off with a header.
• Trent Alexander-Arnold provides the precision that completes the move.

That sequence wasn’t luck. It wasn’t individual brilliance covering cracks.
Fans called it a “perfect team move” and even compared it to Leverkusen’s patterns because the intent and coordination were obvious.

There were other clear positives supporters pointed to:

• Bellingham finally looked free again, playing with confidence and joy.
• Trent’s long passing returned as a real weapon.
• Madrid pushed the ball forward faster and handled Athletic’s high press without panic.

This wasn’t flawless football.
But it was fun again — and for many supporters, that mattered more than anything else.

Fan Reactions

Real Madrid Fans

• Mbappé really is the number one guy right now. No one’s touching him.
• Give him even a little space and he just destroys teams. It’s unreal.
• That guy is just an absolute monster. Different breed.
• That was straight-up ridiculous. Completely unfair in the best way.
• Man’s playing like he’s already holding the Ballon d’Or.
• Fantastic match and a huge win at San Mamés. Mbappé has to be the MOTM for me.
• Did Mbappé really just provide an assist with a header? Ridiculous.
• Winning aerial battles like that feels so good. Haven’t seen the team score one like that in a while.
• Would love to see more goals like that second one.
• Big shout to Camavinga for that finish!
• That was a perfect team move — everything clicked all at once.
• The beauty of that second goal… everything about it was perfectly timed.
• That second goal felt like something straight out of Leverkusen’s playbook.
• All three goals were quality, but that second one was such a rare, satisfying pattern.
• That delivery from Trent was absolutely gorgeous.
• Since returning from injury, Trent’s long balls suddenly started landing perfectly again. Feels like he flipped a switch.
• Arnold looked great out there… shame he picked up that injury.
• Bellingham finally looked free again — playing with real joy.
• The midfield four is doing insane work with basically no rotation.
• Honestly, the team might be stronger without Güler in this setup.
• Loving the football tonight.
• This finally looked like real Madrid again — huge saves included.
• Definitely worth staying up for.
• Overall it was actually fun to watch for the first time in a while.
• When teams press like Bilbao with zero structure, Madrid handle it with ease.
• They clearly wanted to push the ball forward quicker.
• Against Girona they tried the same thing and failed — this time they corrected it.
• The communication was on point today, and Vini didn’t switch off at all.
• Unai Simón is such a solid keeper. Against most goalies we’d have scored two more.
• There were shaky moments, sure, but overall it was a great performance.
• Hope they can carry this momentum forward.

What Remains（English / Short & Direct）

What remains from this win is simple: belief grounded in what was seen.
Mbappé looks unstoppable, needing almost no space to decide games, while even setting up a goal with a header felt natural. Bellingham finally played with freedom again, and the second goal — involving his movement, Camavinga’s timing, Mbappé’s awareness, and Trent’s delivery — gave fans something concrete to trust. Trent’s long balls looked sharp again, communication felt clear, and the team handled chaos without fear. It wasn’t perfect, but it was fun, convincing, and recognizably Real Madrid. For supporters, that was enough.

Source:
ESPN
https://www.espn.co.uk/football/match/_/gameId/748332?utm_source=chatgpt.com