La Liga: Real Madrid Held By Eibar

Real Madrid spurned the chance to go top in La Liga as they were held by minnows Eibar at Santiago Bernabeu. The disgruntled Madrid fans looked on in despair as their team slumped onto their fourth consecutive draw in all competitions. Real seems to be have lost their way after starting the league campaign with four straight wins.

A despondent Cristiano Ronaldo after the fourth consecutive draw. Picture Courtesy : Football Mirror

Zinedine Zidane's men looked jaded and disjointed, but the visiting Basque side deserves credit for a tenacious performance. Former Madrid Academy product Fran Rico headed the visitors in front after just five minutes. Gareth Bale equalized for Real in the 18th minute when he headed in Cristiano Ronaldo's fine cross.

Ander Capa’s cross found Fran Rico in space, with the Real defenders, Pepe and Varane caught unawares, heading it straight to Navas, who let the ball through his body to let Eibar take a shock lead in front of the home crowd.

The goal however, which was the visiting team’s first ever goal against Real in the only 4 occasions that they have ever met, seemed to awaken Real a bit, and the Los Ameros' lead lasted just lasted 11 minutesas Cristiano Ronaldo does what he USED TO DO best, dancing past defenders and putting in an inch-perfect cross to the far post for Bale to head in his 50th goal for Real in 87 games.

Gareth Bale scored his 50th goal in the La Liga. Picture Courtesy : Football Mirror

Real, lacking Modric’s creativity and a misfiring Ronaldo and Benzema upfront, still created a number of chances but weren't as ruthless as usual either, with wayward finishes and poor touches often letting them down in the final third with the Eibarcustodian Riesgokept busy, but in vain. This draw extended Real's winless streak to four games in all competitions—their longest run since 2006—and saw them fail to leapfrog rivals Atletico Madrid back into first place.

Ronaldo's frustration grew as Eibar got bodies in the way of his shot and Realcame short in front of the Eibar goal as a few clear cut chances went begging. Bale failed to recreate a header off another Ronaldo cross, and Benzema’s effort was again saved by Riesgo who seemed to be Real’s nemesis throughout long periods.

ZinedineZidane has denied that Real Madrid are in the midst of a "crisis" but admits that his side must improve their performance levels if they are to return to winning ways. To be honest, they ARE facing an injury crisis. Starting without the exceptional Casemiro, who might return after the international break, Marcelo, who is recovering from a little knock, Sergio Ramos, who was rested, and the worst, the midfield Maestro, Luka Modric, Real have shown their ability already this season to live without Ronaldo and Bale. But the range of passing, creativity and even tough tackling the Croatian brings has proved irreplaceable.Further injuries to Benzema and Varane during the match and to James Rodriguez before the start of the match, has only worsenedZidane’s agony, who’s Blancos are currently serving a transfer ban as well, till Jan 2018.

Isco, meanwhile, continually frustrated the home fans as he lost the ball time and again, owing to Eibar’s aggression, slowing down Madrid's play and rarely showing his skills before being substituted with 18 minutes left, as Asensio and Kovacic too weren’t able to influence the match in Real’s favor.Danilo, playing on his weaker side, was time and again, left in the wake by Pedro Leon and Capa as Madrid desperately missed it starting players.

Morata, on for the ineffective KarimBenzema, reacted quickly after Ronaldo's header had been saved, but he was correctly ruled out for offside after poking the ball into the roof of the netwhen Riesgo brilliantly saved a Ronaldo headerafter 55 mins into the match.Despite seeing a lot of the ball in the final third, Ronaldo and Bale were guilty of missing chances as Kroos and the supporting players were undone by their lack of organization in midfield.

That Bale’s return to the scoresheet came via his head is no surprise after scoring more than anyone across Europe with headers last season.But for a player with just a ninth yellow card since joining Madrid over three years ago was more of a shock as Bale, uncharacteristically, lost the plot with referee Juan Martinez Manuera for not giving into his tactics of hitting the ground regularly during the first half, and Bale narrowly missed the disappointment of a red card for a wild lunge towards the end.

Five minutes later Real had another excellent chance almost out of nowhere as Bale nearly scored a stunning header from 18 yards after getting across his man, but saw his powerful effort rattle the post and bounce clear of goal.Their best chance to find the winner, though, fell to Ronaldo after 69 minutes, but he managed to head over with the goal at his mercy after Isco had pulled the ball back into his path.

Madrid werein disarray throughout the match as Eibar managed proceedings for sustained periods in the match to take home a valuable point which must have felt like a victory.It leaves Real Madrid second in the table behind Atletico, both on 15 points, while Barcelona are fourth after losing 4-3 at Celta Vigo later on Sunday.

A hapless Zidane looks on as his team fails to win again. Picture Courtesy : Football Mirror

Speaking to reporters after the game, Zidane said: "I am responsible as the coach of this team, I must look for solutions. We must change this. This is not a crisis, we are only in October. We cannot go crazy."

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