da spicy bet： Karim Benzema concluded his Real Madrid career in style, scoring the equaliser in a home draw against Athletic Club.
da casino： The legendary striker converted from the spot to salvage an otherwise underwhelming Madrid performance, helping Los Blancos snatch a 1-1 draw against a lively Athletic Club side.
The visitors could've taken the lead inside 10 minutes when they were awarded a penalty for a Toni Kroos handball, but Thibaut Courtois made a full stretch to keep things level early on. The home side threatened sparingly for the remainder of the first half, although Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo both came close.
Oihan Sancet changed things, though, lifting the ball over Courtois after a scrappy sequence to give Athletic Club a 1-0 lead just after the break. But Benzema grabbed his obligatory goal to level things, smashing home from the spot after a dubious decision gave Madrid a penalty. He was substituted shortly after to the adulation of 61,000 Madridistas.
It was a season to forget for Madrid, who will finish at least 10 points behind league winners Barcelona, but they did at least finish ahead of arch-rivals Atletico, who drew 2-2 with Villarreal in their final game.
Still, Sunday was about celebrating a club legend, one that will make a rumoured move to Saudi Arabia having bagged 354 goals and won every possible trophy in the Spanish capital. Madrid won't be the same without him.
GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from the Santiago Bernabeu…
GettyGoalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (7/10):
Made an excellent save from a spot-kick early on. Made another vital one-on-one stop in the second half. Could perhaps have done better on the goal.
Dani Carvajal (5/10):
Did a lot of running, but was lacking in his final ball and could've seen red for a very poor challenge.
Eder Militao (6/10):
Won the penalty that Benzema eventually scored. A bit shaky at the back again. He will benefit from a summer break.
Nacho (7/10):
A solid performance at centre-back from a player who could yet leave this summer. A good servant of the club over the years.
Antonio Rudiger (6/10):
Another left-back run out. More natural in the middle.
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesMidfield
Toni Kroos (7/10):
Pinged it around, completed the most passes on the pitch and created two chances. Blasted one over at the death.
Dani Ceballos (5/10):
Dispossessed in the run-up to the Athletic opener. A few nice moments but short of ideas creatively. Unsure if he will be handed a new contract.
Eduardo Camavinga (6/10):
Will have been glad to start in centre-midfield. Won the ball a lot, but also made a few mistakes in possession.
Getty ImagesAttack
Rodrygo (7/10):
A real mixed bag on the day. Created well for Benzema, but missed a late chance that would've won it.
Karim Benzema (8/10):
Scored in his final game in a Madrid shirt. Everything else is sort of irrelevant.
Vinicius Jr (8/10):
Electric on the left, combined well with Benzema in his last game. Baffling that he didn't win a penalty after being shoved over in the box in the second half.
GettySubs & Manager
Marco Asensio (6/10):
Given half an hour to impress in his final Madrid appearance. Standing ovation when subbed.
Aurelien Tchouameni (5/10):
Anchored the midfield, but didn't get involved in play too much.
Luka Modric (N/A):
A lively cameo.
Lucas Vazquez (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Carlo Ancelotti (5/10):
Put out a near-full-strength lineup despite the relative unimportance of the game. And it was a familiar showing. Madrid lacked ideas in the final third and conceded a preventable goal early in the second half. He was bailed out by Benzema one last time.