Zidane: Madrid suffered a lot, showed character in win over Bilbao

Madrid - Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane hailed his side's character to hold off an Athletic Bilbao onslaught as Casemiro proved the unlikely hero in a vital 2-1 win on Saturday.

The Brazilian midfielder slotted home from close range 22 minutes from time to move Madrid five points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

"We were made to suffer a lot, but at the same time we played with a lot of character," said Zidane.

"It was a hugely important game to win and continue with our good run."

Karim Benzema fired the visitor into a half-time lead from Cristiano Ronaldo's cross before Aritz Aduriz briefly levelled for Athletic.

Barcelona can cut the gap back to two points with a win over Valencia at the Camp Nou on Sunday.

Defeat ends Athletic's 19-game unbeaten run at home; the club remains four points off the European places in seventh.

"We clearly dominated the game," Aduriz told BeIN Sports Spain.

"We surrounded their box, perhaps without creating clear-cut chances, but they had two chances and scored two goals."