Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Atletico Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu despite largely bossing the game against their city rivals. Pepe popped up with the opening goal, guiding a header past goalkeeper Jan Oblak from a Toni Kroos delivery, and Antoine Griezmann equalised late on after a defensive switch handed the France striker a one-on-one with Keylor Navas.Positives
Real were the better side throughout, enjoying 61 percent of possession and racking up 20 shot attempts to the visitors' 10. The back four were generally watertight and limited Atletico to the occasional break, while Navas picked a good day to revisit his form of last season.
Negatives
Once again, Madrid were made to pay for a collective lack of concentration that led to an equaliser when the home team were in control and merely had to run down the clock. The result was a dent in Real's title hopes and served to make the Clasico an even more high-pressure game; Barcelona could be level on points later on Saturday if they beat Malaga at La Rosaleda.
Manager rating out of 10
7 -- Zinedine Zidane fielded the lineup he was expected to and for much of the game it was a fully functioning, cohesive unit that produced some of the best football witnessed at the Bernabeu this season. Often reluctant to make changes, if anything Zidane's deck shuffling was detrimental to a side who were performing exceptionally well, although the first two substitutions were forced upon the Real boss.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Keylor Navas, 8 -- Set the tone early on with a couple of confidence-boosting punches. Made excellent saves from Fernando Torres and Griezmann and could do little about the equaliser after his defence left him exposed.
DF Dani Carvajal, 8 -- Was one of the best players on the pitch, a constant threat going forward and composed at the back. Could have provided better cover for Griezmann's goal, though.
DF Pepe, 8 -- Scored just his second goal of the season and it was a colossal header -- arched perfectly beyond Oblak's reach and inside the far post. Had been useful at the back as well and tidy in his distribution before a collision with Kroos forced him off early.
DF Sergio Ramos, 7 -- Handed Griezmann his first opening of the game with a sloppy ball out from the back. After an uncertain start, he grew into the challenge and marshalled the back four expertly to keep Atletico's chances at a premium.
DF Marcelo, 7 -- Had his showman's hat on in the first half, losing his marker with a glorious touch and minutes later pulling off a roulette to make space for himself in the box. Stuck in four tackles at the back and was more solid than usual in shutting down his flank against the combined threat of Torres and Yannick Carrasco.
MF Casemiro, 8 -- Made more tackles than any other Madrid player and boasted a passing accuracy of 94 percent, but a horrible clearance let Saul in on 26 minutes. Was easily brushed aside by the same player to get a snap shot off in the second half. Otherwise, put in another commanding performance.
MF Luka Modric, 7 -- Is still some way off his best and lost a couple of balls early on, but gradually took control of the midfield and dictated the rhythm of the match in the second half.
MF Toni Kroos, 7 -- Added another assist to his league-leading tally with a perfect ball onto Pepe's head, but although he helped to mop up at the back when needed he was not as forceful on the front foot as he has been recently.
FW Gareth Bale, 6 -- Led the squad in shots taken, but only managed one on target and offered little else as several openings broke down on his boots. Was completely anonymous in the first half hour and hasn't looked his usual self since coming back from injury.
FW Karim Benzema, 7 -- Enjoyed some neat interchanges with Cristiano Ronaldo and forced Oblak into a pair of smart stops, particularly a goal-bound effort that the Atleti goalkeeper did exceptionally well to claw away in the 27th minute. Flitted in and out of the game, but when he did get involved, he was first rate.
FW Cristiano Ronaldo, 9 -- Was constantly looking to bring his teammates in and put in several teasing crosses while also testing Oblak on a few occasions. Thought he had scored on the half-hour mark, but was denied by a last-ditch clearance from Stefan Savic. Put in one of his standout performances of the season.
Substitutes
DF Nacho, 6 -- Came on for Pepe and was the main guilty party for allowing Griezmann to waltz through and equalise.
MF Isco Alarcon, N/R -- Entered for Kroos after the Germany international was taken off as a precaution following a clash with Gabi. Didn't really get into the game in the short time he had.
FW Lucas Vazquez, N/R -- Added some energy to the right, but couldn't carve anything out in the opposition half.
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
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