MADRID, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid go into the international break as league leaders in Spain after a narrow 2-1 win away to Athletic Club Bilbao on Saturday.
Madrid can thank a solid defensive display and goals from Karim Benzema and Casemiro for the victory against a rival, who could count themselves slightly unlucky not to have taken a point since they saw more of the ball.
The key to the game was the home side's failure to consolidate following Aritz Aduriz's 65th minute equalizer and allowing Casemiro a simple finish following a corner 3 minutes later for the deciding goal.
The day kicked off with Eibar and Espanyol drawing a forgettable encounter 1-1. Eibar opened the scoring through Kiko Garcia after 20 minutes, but Jose Jurado equalized an error strewn game five minutes after halftime.
Deyverson's 44th minute goal gave Alaves a 1-0 win in the Basque derby at home to Real Sociedad. Alaves would have won by more goals but for a stunning performance from Real Sociedad keeper, Geronimo Rulli who produced a series of saves to keep the home side at bay.
Finally Betis moved a step closer to assuring their top flight survival by giving another blow to Osasuna with first half goals from Rafa Navarro and Ruben Castro in a straightforward 2-0 win in Seville.