No Vini, no problem for Real Madrid

Madrid, April 1

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Rodrygo thrived in the absence of Vinicius Junior as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 to keep an eight-point lead over Barcelona in the La Liga.

Rodrygo scored both goals and Madrid maintained their comfortable lead at the top after Barcelona had won 1-0 at Las Palmas on Saturday.

Vinicius didn’t play because of a suspension over yellow cards, but Jude Bellingham was back in the squad after missing two straight league games because of a red-card suspension. The influential England international set up Rodrygo’s second goal in Madrid’s third straight league win.

Rodrygo’s opener came with a beautiful shot into the top corner from just outside the area eight minutes into the match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

The Brazil forward had scored for Brazil in a friendly against Spain at the Bernabeu last week, but he hadn’t found the net for Madrid in seven consecutive games.

“He played very well, made the difference with some high-quality plays,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said about Rodrygo.

The Brazilian said after the match he is not feeling threatened by the possible arrival of Kylian Mbappe.

“I think he is close (to being signed), from what everybody has been saying,” Rodrygo said. “I’m just focused on finishing the season well. It would be a nice problem for the coach to have next season. I’m not worried.” — AP