GETAFE, Spain (AFP) - Real Madrid's dreary end to the season took another turn for the worse on Thursday (April 25) as they were left holding on for a goalless draw away to Champions League chasers Getafe.
Just 48 hours before Barcelona are set to be celebrating a 26th La Liga title at Camp Nou, Madrid drifted to a stalemate that leaves them 15 points behind the soon-to-be champions and, on this evidence, with significant ground to make up.
It says something that Getafe were, in the end, disappointed not to win here, Sevilla's 5-0 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano before kick-off meaning they stay fourth, only by virtue of a superior head-to-head.
Real Madrid were mathematically ruled out of the title race after Barcelona beat Alaves on Tuesday while Atletico Madrid look likely to finish above them too for a second consecutive year.
Zinedine Zidane has insisted La Liga will be the club's "bread and butter" next season, their priority ahead of the Champions League after seven years with only one league title to their name.
But they have work to do, with very few of his squad showing many reasons to keep tem this summer and several more looking like they could well be replaced.
Getafe still have a lot to play for. If they snatch a Champions League spot, it would be one of the greatest shocks La Liga has seen in years, perhaps even trumping Atletico Madrid winning the title in 2014.
Their average attendance here is just under 10,000 while the club's wage bill stands at a little less than 40 million euros. Madrid's is close to 570 million.
Karim Benzema skewed wide of the far post with 62 seconds on the clock and Madrid hardly created a better chance for the rest of the half.
Gareth Bale started and was greeted by silence rather than the whistles that have accompanied him at the Santiago Bernabeu in recent weeks. But he looked low on confidence, a shadow of the player he can be.
Bale pulled back for Benzema, who could only find the hands of David Soria on the slide while Casemiro had an instinctive effort blocked from six yards.
But Getafe were largely untroubled even if they lacked creativity, their best opening coming from a free-kick which Mauro Arambarri caught well but Keylor Navas was equal to.
For 10 minutes, Madrid peppered the Getafe goal after the break. Soria came out quickly to deny Bale, pushed a Casemiro shot around the post and then saved from Isco, who should have scored after Dani Carvajal picked him out.
Bale and Brahim Diaz departed, replaced by Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez, but it was Navas that was called upon next, making two quick-fire saves to keep out Jorge Molina and Jaime Mata.
Mata wanted a penalty for a Carvajal push as Getafe looked more likely to find a late winner. It was not to be. Getafe's Champions League dream hangs in the balance.
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - OGC Nice v Olympique Lyonnais - Allianz Riviera, Nice, France - February 10, 2019 Lyon's Ferland Mendy in action with Nice's Patrick Burner REUTERS/Eric Gail
Football: Ferland Mendy set for Real move, says France coach
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino considers his two-match touchline ban for confronting referee Mike Dean to be "completely unfair" and has hinted at an appeal.. The Spurs boss has been
Pochettino feels touchline ban is 'completely unfair'
Juventus deny Pep link for manager TURIN • Juventus have poured cold water over rumours that they were planning a dramatic pounce for Pep Guardiola, saying that they had never even spoken to the Manchester City boss.
Juventus deny Pep link for manager - Virginia Bus
virginiabus.info/sports/juventus-deny-pep-link-for-manager/
TURIN • Juventus have poured cold water over rumours that they were planning a dramatic pounce for Pep Guardiola, saying that they had never even spoken to the Manchester City boss. "It's a strange world, we've not had any contact with Guardiola nor have we ever thought about it given that he's under contract," Juve's […]
Juventus deny making an approach for Guardiola
Hungry Wolves beat 10-man Manchester United 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers repeated their FA Cup defeat of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United as a Chris Smalling own goal gave them another 2-1 win in a pulsating Premier League game on Tuesday.
Hungry Wolves beat 10-man Manchester United
West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini said he was "ashamed" of his team after League One strugglers AFC Wimbledon delivered an FA Cup fourth-round shock to his Hammers in a gripping tie in south-west
Soccer: AFC Wimbledon humble West Ham in FA Cup shock
Gigi Buffon has told Paris Saint-Germain to show "a spirit of sacrifice for the team" with Edison Cavani joining Neymar in missing the trip to Manchester United. However, the goalkeeper is unhappy by the form and attitude of the French Champions after the 1-0 league win over Bordeaux.
Gianluigi Buffon, Chief Executive Officer at Buffon & Co. SRL
City and Liverpool leave chasing pack facing tough summer The Star. 13/05/2019. Liverpool's attempt to dethrone Manchester City as Premier League champions ended in glorious failure yesterday, but
City and Liverpool leave chasing pack facing tough summer
Puppet uses its own configuration language, which was designed to be accessible to sysadmins. The Puppet language does not require much formal programming experience and its syntax was inspired by the Nagios configuration file format. Resources, classes, and nodes The core of the Puppet language is declaring resources.
Puppet vs Salt - UpGuard
The search for missing Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot Dave Ibbotson has restarted after a GoFundMe campaign reached and passed its €300,000 goal. The crowdfunding campaign was
Messi urges search for Emiliano Sala to continue - SABC News
Warnock proud of Cardiff response to Sala tragedy at Arsenal AFP January 29, 2019 AFP No Comments London (AFP) - Cardiff manager Neil Warnock revealed his pride despite losing 2-1 at Arsenal on Tuesday as the Welsh side returned to action for the first time since a plane carrying the club's record signing Emiliano Sala disappeared over the
Warnock proud of Cardiff response to Sala tragedy at Arsenal
Report Ad
Free Shipping Available. Buy on eBay. Money Back Guarantee!
Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a 90th-minute penalty as a scrappy north-London derby against Tottenham Hotspur ended in a 1-1 draw on Saturday. Hugo Lloris got down low to keep out
Kane and Lloris rescue point for Spurs against Arsenal
Example: "While I enjoyed my time learning and growing in my last job, there was a lack of opportunity in the way I wanted to progress in my career. I deeply enjoy being challenged and getting better at what I do, which I understand is a top priority for managers at your organization.
10 Ways To Become Better At Your Job Today - Forbes
0 comments:
Post a Comment