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La Liga: Leaders Real Madrid held by late Celta strike

The stalemate ended a five-game winning streak in the league for the leaders and left them on 53 points after 24 games, one ahead of second-placed Barcelona who had earlier defeated Getafe 2-1 at home.

Sergio Ramos

Bengaluru, February 17: La Liga leaders' Real Madrid's title bid took a dent after Zinedine Zidane's team were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Celta Vigo, denied all three points by a late strike from Santi Mina.

The stalemate ended a five-game winning streak in the league for the leaders and left them on 53 points after 24 games, one ahead of second-placed Barcelona who had earlier defeated Getafe 2-1 at home.

Celta, who had lost on their last seven league visits to the Santiago Bernabeu, climbed out of the relegation zone into 17th place in the standings.

Results | Points Table | Fixtures

Mina latched on to a classy through ball from former Barcelona midfielder Denis Suarez and produced a clinical low finish to equalise in the 85th minute, trimming Real's lead over Barcelona to one point.

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Celta took an early lead through Russian striker Fedor Smolov and Real struggled to respond, leading to the home fans booing their players off the pitch when the halftime whistle was blown.

Kroos missile

Kroos missile

But the league leaders came out stronger after the break and Toni Kroos levelled in the 52nd minute, shortly after Real captain Sergio Ramos had a goal ruled out for offside.

Ramos then scored from the penalty spot to put Zidane's side in front in the 65th minute after Eden Hazard, making his first outing in almost three months after recovering from an ankle injury, was tripped by Celta keeper Ruben Blanco.

Zidane hurt

Zidane hurt

"Dropping two points at home hurts me a lot," Zidane said in the post-match press conference.

"Celta are a good team that don't deserve to be near the bottom of the league, but it's painful to lose the two points after we made such a big effort," he added.

Griezmann to Barca's rescue

Griezmann to Barca's rescue

Earlier, a slick Antoine Griezmann strike set Barcelona on their way against Getafe to a win 2-1.

Griezmann's finish was perfect as he clipped the ball over onrushing goalkeeper David Soria on 33 minutes. Sergi Roberto doubled the scores six minutes after the opener, but a late rally from Getafe gave Barca a scare.

Atletico held

Atletico held

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid led twice at the Mestalla before being held to a draw by Valencia.

But, it should be a result that could give Atletico a boost ahead of hosting Liverpool in the first leg of their last-16 tie in the UEFA Champions League.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Story first published: Monday, February 17, 2020, 11:12 [IST]
Other articles published on Feb 17, 2020