The stars were on show at the Madrid Derby on Sunday.
Real Madrid had a wealth of chances but were again stymied by a Diego Simeone defense, with Atletico Madrid maintaining its hold on second place with a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu.
Atleti is 11 points back of unbeaten leaders Barcelona, while Real remains four points back of Sunday’s visitors.
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The two sides drew 0-0 earlier this season, and Real is winless in three although the first was the second leg of last season’s UEFA Champions League semifinals (Real advanced).
Atleti’s Antoine Griezemann answered the combination of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, with Ronaldo scoring for the 10th straight match.
Ronaldo’s marker came in the 53rd minute when he showed trademark poise in belting Gareth Bale’s cross past Jan Oblak.
GOOOOOOAAALLLLL: @GarethBale11 swings one towards the back stick where @Cristiano's shoelaces meet it with a vengeance. #RealMadridAtleti pic.twitter.com/aYkRdNgnBQ
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) April 8, 2018
Yet the lead would only last a few minutes.
Griezmann returned from a yellow card accumulation suspension to bury a chance inside the 18, scoring his 25th goal of the season in all competitions while remaining a thorn in the side of his cross city rivals.
Oblak tipped a stoppage time free kick from Sergio Ramos over the bar to preserve the draw, as Real out-attempted Atleti 29-9 (only 8-5 on target).
Here’s the equalizer:
GOOOOOOAAALLLL: @AntoGriezmann restores parity and becomes the first @atletienglish player this century to score at the Bernabeu in three straight games. #RealMadridAtleti pic.twitter.com/QiWq12xlQO
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) April 8, 2018