June 04, (THEWILL) – Karim Benzema bid farewell to Real Madrid in style, scoring a goal in a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao on the final day of the La Liga season.
The seasoned forward, set to depart for Saudi Arabia after announcing his exit on Sunday, calmly converted a penalty as Madrid fought back to secure a valuable point at the Santiago Bernabeu. Athletic had their chances early on, but Thibaut Courtois’ heroics brilliantly kept out Mikel Vesga’s tame spot kick, denying them an early lead.
Like Courtois, Unai Simon denied Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in quick succession. Nonetheless, Athletic capitalised on a defensive error by Dani Ceballos, allowing Ander Herrera to set up Oihan Sancet for a crucial goal. Real Madrid, however, were awarded a penalty of their own after Yuri Berchiche fouled Eder Militao. Benzema confidently converted the spot-kick before being substituted to a standing ovation.
Despite their efforts, Los Blancos could not find a winning goal without their talisman, and the match ended in a draw. However, Benzema’s equaliser meant that they narrowly held onto second place following Atletico Madrid’s 2-2 draw with Villarreal in the other top of the table match.
With Benzema departing, Madrid will now focus on finding a suitable replacement as they aim to reclaim the league title next season. Meanwhile, Athletic, frustrated by an eighth-placed finish, will shift their focus towards securing European qualification in the upcoming campaign.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
