Real Madrid held in dull draw at Leganes

Bengaluru, April 16: Karim Benzema saved Real Madrid the blushes as they escaped with a 1-1 draw at Leganes in a La Liga encounter that never went beyond mediocre.

Jonathan Silva fired Leganes ahead in the 45th minute with their first chance of the game, driving home from the edge of the box.

Benzema equalised at the start of the second half for his 26th goal of the season (18th in La Liga) to rescue Real, who looked totally uninspired throughout the game.

Zinedine Zidane's side, who are third in the table and 13 points behind leaders Barcelona.

Results | Points Table | Fixtures

Real, who were also knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the last-16 stage by Ajax Amsterdam, put in the kind of lethargic performance which has plagued their season, with Marco Asensio and Raphael Varane missing good first-half chances.

Most of Zidane's press conferences have so far been dominated by questions about his players' futures and on this evidence, few will be feeling secure.

Benzema has been, by a distance, Real's most consistent player this season and he showed again why Zidane has already said the striker will stay.

What a season @Benzema is having! 💯#LaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/jHQVFunXmB

— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) April 15, 2019

Gareth Bale, meanwhile, was left on the bench for the second time in three matches, with his prospects look ever-more bleak.

Playing on Monday for the first time in three years, in a slot reserved for teams not involved in Europe, Real produced a underwhelming performance.

Zidane's second reign as coach had now delivered three wins, one defeat and a draw.

(With inputs from Agencies)