Ronaldo misses penalty as Madrid teams falter

Centre back Raul Albentosa capitalised on some poor Real Madrid defending to get on the end of a wicked cross, applying a striker’s finish to smash it into the back of the net.

Needing a win to keep pace with leader Barcelona, Los Blancos slipped nine points adrift with just 13 games remaining of the Spanish league season.

Espanyol also ended an eight-round winless streak by beating Deportivo La Coruna 1-0 thanks to Marco Asensio’s second-half goal, while Sporting Gijon scored from its sole shot on goal by Carlos Castro to escape with a 1-1 draw at Real Betis.

“Our objective is still survival (in the top flight), fight in all our matches and get all the points we can”. Real Madrid has been dominant at home since Zidane took over the squad, but it drew two of its three away league games. We are going to rest well and think about the Malaga game. They are now fourth on 35 points – still occupying a slot for next season’s Uefa Champions League – but face a tussle for qualification with Wolfsburg, Mainz, Hertha Berlin, Borussia Moenchengladbach and Schalke.

“I think that we must keep going, whatever happens”. Even Atletico is holding the advantage of playing one less match than real and that is 3 points if they win.

Yet Zidane is adamant that Barca have not secured title glory just yet.

Even the goal scored by Madrid could have easily been waved off as it was clearly offside, when Ronaldo headed the ball in from a Toni Kroos freekick in the 33rd minute.

“It was a draw, but it tasted like a defeat”.

Indeed the home side did not rest on their laurels and came forward in waves to make several attempts at goal, stopped only saved by Keylor Navas who kept the visitors in the match. It was Ronaldo’s 22nd league goal in 25 rounds.

The home draw left Malaga 11th in the 20-team standings with 31 points.

The standoff was triggered by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s 64th-minute goal, enough for second-placed Dortmund to restore the eight-point gap behind Bayern Munich. We had chances to kill off the game, but ultimately we have to move on because the games we had before were phenomenal.

An exhausted Madrid walked off the pitch at the final whistle, knowing that La Liga is now a long lost dream.