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Real Madrid lost ground to LaLiga leaders Atlético de Madrid when their streak of five consecutive victories in the competition was halted at a 1-1 draw with Elche.
Luka Modric scored his third league goal of the season to give Zinedine Zidane’s men the lead after 20 minutes when Madrid attacked freely leaving some dangerous holes in the back.
Elche created numerous good chances before equalizing from the penalty spot, Fidel converted after Dani Carvajal’s flagrant foul on Antonio Barragán.
The result put a brake on the well-being factor that Zidane had managed to generate in his club after recovering from a slow start to the season, with Atlético two points clear at the top after beating Getafe 1-0 on Wednesday. .
Toni Kroos narrowly headed from 10 yards in the third minute as Madrid started brilliantly, but it wasn’t long before Thibaut Courtois, making his 100th appearance with the club, had to cleverly duck to stop Emiliano Rigoni’s fierce shot. from the corner of your net.
The game went from tip to tip and Marcelo rocked the crossbar with a rough half volley from the edge of Elche’s area in the 13th minute.
Moments later, Modric gave Madrid the lead, sending a header into the upper right corner after Edgar Badia slapped Marco Asensio’s thunderous shot off the crossbar.
Madrid received a penalty only for the VAR to show that the ball hit Iván Marcone’s leg and not his hand, and six minutes into the second half Elche won his own penalty when Carvajal knocked down Barragán.
6 – Real Madrid have conceded six penalties in their last nine LaLiga games, as many as in their last 65 matches in the competition. Surveillance. pic.twitter.com/LhQ2g02WzE
– OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 30, 2020
Fidel buried the penalty in the lower left corner of the net and 10 minutes later Lucas Boye brushed the outside of the post with a low shot from the edge of the Madrid area.
Boye shot high and wide as he burst through the ranks of Madrid’s defenders again and Carvajal missed the opportunity to make amends for his mistake when Badia saved his close-range shot on counter.
The return of Eden Hazard missed the only opening that crossed him and Carvajal conceded a free kick in injury time from which Gonzalo Verdú took a good save from Courtois, who stopped the last shot of the match to ensure the distribution of points.
What does that mean? No more room for complacency in Madrid
Victories over Sevilla, Atlético, Athletic Bilbao, Eibar and Granada put a brake on Zidane’s pace heading into this game, but sloppy defense suggested his players underestimated Elche.
Jorge Almirón’s team, which could climb to ninth if he wins his match in hand, may not have won in their last nine LaLiga games, but this was the first time in nine top flight matches with Madrid that they managed avoid defeat.
Modric makes Madrid work
The return of Modric restored fluidity to Madrid’s attacking game, and contributed with two goal attempts – including the one that entered – as well as being the third with the most touches of any player.
Calamitous Carvajal
In addition to giving the penalty awkwardly, Carvajal struggled to deal with the threat from Fidel and Boye, conceding possession 18 times, more than any other player on the court.
Whats Next?
Elche’s first game of 2021 sees him travel to Athletic on Sunday, while Madrid plays at home against Celta de Vigo a day earlier.
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