Primera Liga Football News – It is no exaggeration to suggest that the goal tally should have entered double figures, but there were only two as Real Madrid and Atletico shared the points at the Bernabeu.

Juande Ramos sprang a major surprise, selecting Lassana Diarra at right-back, while leaving Gonzalo Higuain on the bench.

Atletico lined up as expected, with Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero together up front.

A frantic night was expected at the Bernabeu as Madrid’s biggest clubs clashed, with more than one eye on events in Barcelona as well. Both sides took their time to get settled, and it took 12 minutes for the first genuine chance to materialise. Arjen Robben went on a trademark run on the right before cutting inside and shooting, but Leo Franco was up to the task. The rebound fell to Raul, but his shot was blocked.

A few minutes later, the genius and frustration of Robben was summed up in one instant. After beating countless players down the right, he chose to shoot at Leo Franco instead of passing to Marcelo, who could have driven a bus in the space between himself and the closest defender. The Brazilian then came close on the half-hour, but his shot from distance was well saved by Leo Franco.

This game may have been goalless thus far, but news of Barcelona’s two strikes was filtering around the Bernabeu, increasing the frustration of the crowd. This seemed to distract the home side, who suddenly started to offer Atletico far too much space. On 36 minutes, Sergio Aguero really should have scored when a Maxi Rodriguez chip released him, but he could only shoot straight at Iker Casillas.

It looked as though that might be a costly miss, but El Kun made amends moments later, when he broke down the left and cut the ball inside for Diego Forlan, who showed him how to finish with consummate ease. The defending was truly criminal, as not only was Forlan left completely and utterly alone in the box, but the same could be said for Maxi Rodriguez, who was on hand to finish the job if needed.

Real Madrid’s defence has been their strength in recent weeks, but it came apart in a few fatal minutes to give Atletico a precious half-time lead. With Barcelona seemingly comfortable against Athletic Bilbao, the pressure was on for the second half.

Real Madrid may have been behind, but it was Atletico who started the second half the brighter, bombing forward at every opportunity as the home side continued to leave rather large holes at the back. With just five minutes of the second period gone, another counterattack eventually found its way to Maxi, but he lost the ball just as he was preparing to increase the visitors’ lead.

There were clearly massive problems in Real Madrid’s structure, and Juande Ramos was not prepared to let it continue any longer, as he made a double substitution. The largely ineffective Guti was withdrawn for Gonzalo Higuain, while Michel Salgado came on for Gabriel Heinze, who did little to silence his many critics. It proved to be an inspired change, as Higuain found Huntelaar with a sublime pass, and the Dutch forward fired the ball expertly into the roof of the net.

The goal somehow opened the match up even more, with both sides launching attacks at will. Diego Forlan nearly restored Atleti’s lead immediately, but he saw his shot bounce agonizingly back off the post. On the touchline, Ramos could scarcely believe the kind of defending he was witnessing.

Real Madrid soon realised that attack was the best form of defence, as they kept Atletico away from their box by pushing forward. Still, there were yawning gaps at the back, but Atletico’s profligate finishing came to the home side’s rescue on more than one occasion. The substitute Florent Sinama-Pongolle failed to change things, missing an excellent chance with twenty minutes to go.

On 72 minutes, Atletico raced forward on yet another counter, as Aguero found himself with the entire right hand side of the pitch to himself. He cut inside expertly, but once again, his finishing left a lot to be desired, as he blasted wide when it seemed easier to score. Abel Resino was perplexed on the bench, as he looked up at the scoreboard that read 1-1, despite his side having had numerous odds-on chances to score.

It truly was unbelievable to witness the poor finishing on display, as Aguero wasted two excellent chances in the space of barely ten seconds, chances that on any other day of the season he would have finished in his sleep. Raul then nearly added a spectacular touch to the evening, but his overhead effort trickled just wide.

That would prove to be the Real Madrid icon’s last significant contribution of the match, as he was withdrawn for Rafael Van Der Vaart with seven minutes remaining. As the match entered stoppage time, Atletico thought they had a penalty when Ramos clashed with Aguero in the box, but the referee was having none of it, much to the consternation of the Rojiblancos. That proved to be the final incident of an action-packed match, that, somehow, finished 1-1.

Real Madrid 1-1 Atletico Madrid
Huntelaar 56       Forlan 37

Real Madrid: Casillas – Diarra, Ramos, Cannavaro, Heinze (Salgado 54) – Gago, Guti (Higuain 54), Marcelo – Raul (Van Der Vaart 83), Robben, Huntelaar

Atletico Madrid: Leo Franco – Heitinga (Perea 80), Pablo, Ujfalusi, Antonio Lopez – Camacho (Maniche 67), Assuncao, Maxi (Sinama 60), Simao – Aguero, Forlan

Yellow Cards: Salgado 67, Assuncao 85, Gago 86