Real Madrid beat Athletic Club 1-0

Three minutes into extra time, Valverde eventually rewarded the hosts' relentless pressure in the second half with a powerful half-volley into the top corner with the outside of his left foot.

This season, he has scored six goals in the league, although none since defeating Sevilla in December. With six games remaining, Real Madrid, who were without Kylian Mbappe of France due to a one-match suspension after being sent out for a red card in the 1-0 victory against Alaves, was four points behind leaders Barcelona. Real thought they had made the breakthrough with 11 minutes remaining but Vinicius Jr's classy curler was ruled out for a marginal offside against Endrick in the build-up. It took a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) delay to disallow the strike and, when the officials later deemed a clip on Bellingham in the area was not worth a review, it seemed another frustrating night was on the cards for the defending champions.