REAL MADRID 1 ATLETICO MADRID 1: CRISTIANO RONALDO HITS 10 IN A ROW, BUT ANTOINE GRIEZMANN EARNS MADRID DERBY DRAW
Atletico Madrid all but ended Real Madrid's slim
La Liga title hopes as Antoine Griezmann cancelled out Cristiano Ronaldo's
opener to earn a 1-1 Madrid derby draw at the Bernabeu.
Hosts Real were left frustrated as
they passed up chances in the first half, with Ronaldo drawing saves from
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak and Marcelo hitting both the post and bar with
the same effort.
Ronaldo - who has been on red-hot form
in front of goal in 2018 - finally made the breakthrough for Real after 53
minutes, volleying home a Gareth Bale cross as Atletico failed to clear their
lines.
The goal meant Ronaldo has scored in
each of his last 10 games, with the Portuguese star netting an incredible 20 in
that time - a rate of two per game.
However, Real's lead only lasted for
three minutes as Griezmann equalised with a low effort after Keylor Navas
parried Vitolo's shot.
Real coach Zinedine Zidane then sprang
a surprise by substituting off Ronaldo with 26 minutes left on the clock, and
Diego Simeone's Atletico sat back to preserve a derby draw.
A point apiece was the result La Liga
leaders Barcelona would have wanted before kick-off, and leaves Ernesto
Valverde's unbeaten Blaugrana 11 points ahead of second-placed Atletico with
seven games remaining.
As for Real, they sit 15 points off
the pace - only a third straight Champions League triumph looks likely to save
Zidane's job.
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