Madrid derby ends in a draw

Not much was expected in this Madrid derby as both teams have almost conceded the La Liga title to Barcelona who lead the table with 79 points and Real Madrid with 64 points after the derby match. There was little fight in the teams to make the derby interesting as both teams have their eyes set on their second leg clashes in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. Nonetheless, Zidane called on Ronaldo to start the match in a much rested squad that saw players like Mateo Kovacic, Bale and Vazquez make the first 11. Both teams looked off and the match did not really feel like the derby as the levels of intensity was a little bit lower than expected. The first half reflected the poor energy levels of both teams and it is no surprise that it was goalless. Cristiano Ronaldo then scored for Real Madrid on the 53rd minute. The Portuguese forward scored a volley from a Gareth Bale cross that found him at the far post. This goal means that Ronaldo has scored 24 goals in his last 15 matches. What a turnaround in form for a player who was starting to be regarded as finished. His celebrations were shortened as Antoine Griezmann scored for Atletico just 4 minutes later. Ronaldo was taken off by Zidane who did not want to his star man to get injured in a match that was not as important as it should be. Both teams found opportunities to win it as Varane’s effort and Ramos’ freekick was clawed out by Oblak while Costa also saw his shots saved by Navas. This result means that Barcelona have edged closer to winning the La Liga title with a 11 point advantage with just 7 games remaining. It’s all in your hands Barca.