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| Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo celebrating Ramos’ second half goal |
Just an inch to claim an all-time record, but the stubborn Villarreal were there to deny the Los Blancos a chance of surpassing their arc-rival, FC Barcelona. Real Madrid’s bid for a record 17th consecutive LaLiga victory fell short as Villarreal held them to a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Mateo Kovacic were all back and named in Zinedine Zidane’s XI for their tilt at history, but had little joy during an opening half that ended with Bruno Soriano putting the visitors ahead from the penalty spot after a clumsy challenge by Skipper Sergio Ramos.
Ramos was culpable for his team falling behind, but quickly atoned for his earlier mistake by heading home from James Rodriguez’s corner in the 48th minutes after the start of second half to seal at least a vital point for the Blancos.
Zidane’s men remain top of LaLiga despite losing their 100 per cent record this term and Barca and Atleti will look to close the gap when they meet at Camp Nou later on Wednesday.