The hosts could not find a way through the sturdy Basque defence, so had to settle for a draw 9.58pm GMT
Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois speaks to Spanish TV: “It’s a disappointing result, it was an intense game, and it was difficult for us to get into it. Athletic set out to frustrate us, we know how they play, and we feel it’s two points dropped.
“We had plenty of chances, their goalkeeper made some good saves ... we’re not lacking goal-scoring ability but the ball just doesn’t want to go in at the moment.” 9.55pm GMT
It’s over. From a
Real Madrid point of view, that is a massively disappointing result, but what a defensive effort it was from the visitors.
Unai Simón made some superb saves for Athletic Bilbao and their defenders always seemed to be in the right place at the right time when it came to making tackles, blocking shots - just generally getting in the way. The decision by Garitano to employ three centre-backs initially caused a bit of confusion, it seemed, but as the match wore on they looked increasingly comfortable with the system.