Valverde scores late in Real Madrid's 1-0 win as suspended Mbappé is jeered by some fans

MADRID (AP) — Still upset at their team's midweek exit from the Champions League, Real Madrid fans jeered suspended Kylian Mbappé and then cheered Federico Valverde after he scored late in a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish league on Sunday.

The narrow victory for second-placed Madrid kept some pressure on leader Barcelona.

Mbappé, serving a red-card suspension, was jeered by many fans at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium four days after he had already been booed in Madrid's 2-1 second-leg loss to Arsenal in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The Spanish powerhouse was eliminated 5-1 on aggregate from a competition it has won a record 15 times.

“We did well today,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “We wanted to win again and rebound from the elimination. The team came through and Fede was key. This victory gives us a boost."

Valverde scored with a well-placed shot into the top corner from the right edge of the penalty area three minutes into second-half stoppage time.

The Bernabeu was mostly behind the team on Sunday, but some fans jeered when Mbappé was shown in the stadium on the large video screens.

Vinícius Júnior, who also struggled on Wednesday but impressed on Sunday, had a goal disallowed around the 80th because of an offside by Endrick in the buildup. Vinícius reached 200 wins with Madrid.

Jude Bellingham, playing in a false-nine position in attack, also performed well for Madrid, which faces Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday in Seville.

“He played well in that position,” Ancelotti said. “We have done well with the formation in the past.”

Defender Antonio Rüdiger played his 150th game with Madrid.

The victory moved Madrid back within four points of Barcelona, which rallied to defeat Celta Vigo 4-3 on Saturday. Third-placed Atletico Madrid stayed 10 points off the lead after losing 1-0 at Las Palmas on Saturday. Fourth-placed Athletic is six points behind Atletico.

“The goal didn’t want to come until Valverde once again came up with a wonder goal, like he does best,” Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said. ”This was a very important win, we want to keep fighting. Barça won yesterday and it was our turn to win."

Fifth-placed Villarreal, five points behind Athletic with a game in hand, was held to a 2-2 draw with midtable Real Sociedad.

Athletic, which had only one attempt on target at the Bernabeu, was coming off two victories in a row in all competitions.

Among those in attendance at the Bernabeu were tennis player Novak Djokovic and gymnast Simone Biles, who were in Madrid for the Laureus Awards.

Midtable Osasuna won 3-2 at last-placed Valladolid, which has lost 12 of its last 13 matches. Osasuna has won two in a row after nine matches without a win across all tournaments.

Sevilla, sitting in 15th place, drew 1-1 at home against 18th-placed Alaves.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, right, is challenged by Athletic Bilbao's Benat Prados during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, front, and Athletic Bilbao's Andoni Gorosabel vie for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham reacts during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, top second from right, heads the ball on shot during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Athletic Bilbao's Unai Nunez reacts at the end of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, front, reacts after missing a chance to score during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham (5) and Athletic Bilbao's Aitor Paredes fight for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Federico Valverde, left, is congratulated after scoring his side's first goal by Vinicius Junior during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Federico Valverde celebrates scoring his side's opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Real Madrid's Federico Valverde celebrates scoring his side's first goal next to Vinicius Junior during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 12, 2026--

Today, a leading global wedding technology platform The Knot Worldwide (TKWW), announced the appointment of Michael Pickrum as Chief Financial Officer. With more than 25 years of experience in strategic finance, operations, and business development within the media and technology industries, Pickrum will oversee TKWW’s global finance organization. Pickrum joins TKWW at an exciting moment as the company celebrates its 30-year anniversary and continues to grow and scale with a focus on product innovation.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260112910392/en/

Pickrum joins TKWW from Maximum Effort, the media, marketing, and investment company co-founded by Ryan Reynolds, where he served as Chief Financial Officer. Before this, he held the roles of COO and CFO at ExecOnline, Inc., a B2B online leadership development company. Pickrum spent over 17 years at BET/Viacom, where he served as EVP and CFO starting in 2007. Prior to that, he was COO of BET Interactive. He earned his master's and bachelor's degrees in engineering from Stanford University and his MBA from The Wharton School.

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Pickrum is based in New York, NY and reports to TKWW Chief Executive Officer Raina Moskowitz.

About The Knot Worldwide
Across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, The Knot Worldwide champions the power of celebration. The company’s global family of brands provides best-in-class products, services, and content to take celebration planning from inspiration to action. Through its wedding brands, including The Knot, WeddingWire, Bodas.net, Hitched.co.uk, Mariages.net, Matrimonio.com, and others, the company offers an extensive database of hundreds of thousands of wedding professionals to assist couples in organizing the happiest day of their lives. We have a brand for every kind of celebration—from booking a birthday party, to planning a wedding, to preparing to become a parent, and every moment in between.

Michael Pickrum, courtesy of The Knot Worldwide