Real Madrid held 1-1 by Almeira

Real Madrid drop two vital points in La Liga title race after being held 1-1 by Almeria

Real Madrid held 1-1 by Almeira

Real Madrid drop two vital points in La Liga title race after being held 1-1 by Almeria

Esteban Granero rescued a point for misfiring Real Madrid in a 1-1 draw against bottom club Almeria, paving the way for Barcelona to extend their lead to four points when they welcome Malaga last night.

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during the La Liga match against Almeria last night. Real were held 1-1. Pic/Getty Images

The talk in recent weeks has been over Real's lack of fire-power following an injury to Gonzalo Higuain and although they saw plenty of the ball in midfield they were unable to create any clear chances in the first
half.

Karim Benzema was brought on for Kaka after the break but it was Almeria who broke the deadlock on the hour mark against the run of play through Jose Ulloa.

Substitute Granero fired Real level in the 77th minute and in an action-packed finish Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post for the visitors with a free-kick.

Barcelona thrash Malaga 4-1
Meanwhile, Barcelona last night continued their imperious form and registered a club record 28th straight game without defeat beating Malaga 4-1 to take a four-point lead on top of the Spanish League table. Andres Iniesta, David Villa (2) and Pedro Rodriguez scored for the Blaugrana.

AC Milan held
League leaders Milan could only draw 1-1 with lowly Lecce in Serie A in the Stadio Via del Mare last night.

After a stuffy opening 50 minutes, Zlatan Ibrahimovic broke the deadlock with a stunning volley, which looked to have secured all three points until Ruben Olivera popped up to level the scores with just eight minutes left on the clock.

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