Real Madrid tightens grip on La Liga trophy with Ramos penalty

In what appears to be an almost-replay of their previous league match against Getafe, Real Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 1-0 thanks to a Sergio Ramos penalty kick. Los Blancos are now seven points ahead of FC Barcelona, with the Catalan giants looking to close the gap by bringing home three points later this evening against Villareal.

In an early kick-off on Sunday at the new San Mames stadium in Bilbao, Zinedine Zidane started the match with an unusual lineup. Toni Kroos sat on the bench while both Eden Hazard and Raphael Varane were ruled out due to injury. Eder Militao was called up to play beside Ramos in central defence, while Fede Valverde took a midfield position in place of Kroos. Up front, Karim Benzema was flanked by an unusual tandem as well. He had Marco Asensio on the right and Rodygo on the left.

Both teams had scoring opportunities in the first half, and it was by no means an easy game for Real Madrid. In fact, it looked like the home team had the momentum for large chunk of the game. A draw would have been enough for Madrid to keep their lead in La Liga, but a penalty in the 72nd minute guaranteed their 7th straight win since the resumption of the season.

The penalty was awarded belatedly to Marcelo, who was brought down in the box after his foot was stepped on by Dani Garcia. The referee allowed play to continue for a few seconds until the ball went out of play. He then called for a VAR review, and didn't hesitate to award the penalty.

Of course, when Real Madrid has a penalty, it's Sergio Ramos time. After some protests from the Bilbao side, Ramos finally went to the spot and slotted the ball in on the lower left side. The outcome was very similar to their match against Getafe, which saw Ramos scoring from a penalty in the 79th minute.

As expected, the Bilbao players were frustrated and Real Madrid had the upper hand. Things got even more heated after Ramos escaped giving away a penalty in the closing stages of the match.

All eyes will now be on FC Barcelona, who will be fighting for their chance to win the league when they face Villareal in a few hours.