La Liga: Real, Atletico Madrid Draw In Derby

Spanish football turned its attention to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium as the biggest match of the weekend kicked off between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

The defending champions were looking to reduce the gap between them and league leaders Barcelona while Atletico were hoping to push themselves closer to the top four.

Coming off an impressive 5-2 comeback win over Liverpool in the Champions League, Madrid game began with both teams pressing high and looking for an early goal.

Real Madrid created the first chance of the game when Karim Benzema played a through ball to Lucas Vazquez, but the winger's shot went just wide of the post.

Atletico responded quickly with a counter-attack, but Antoine Griezmann's shot was blocked by Eder Militao.

As the game progressed, both teams continued to create chances, but it was Atletico who struck first.

In the 78th minute, Griezmann delivered a dangerous free-kick into the box, and Jose Maria Gimenez rose highest to head the ball past Thibaut Courtois.

Atletico's joy was short-lived, however, as substitute Angel Correa was sent off just six minutes later for an elbow to the chest of Antonio Rudiger.

With Atletico down to ten men, Real Madrid piled on the pressure, and their persistence paid off in the 85th minute when Luka Modric's corner found the head of 18-year-old Alvaro Rodriguez, who nodded the ball into the back of the net.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Atletico held on for a hard-fought draw that will have delighted their manager, Diego Simeone.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, will be left wondering what could have been if they had taken their chances earlier in the game.

The draw leaves Real Madrid seven points behind Barcelona in the LaLiga standings, with just 12 games remaining in the season.

While they are not out of the title race yet, they will need to put in some impressive performances in the coming weeks if they are to catch their bitter rivals.

As for Atletico, they will be pleased with their performance and will take heart from the fact that they were able to secure a point despite being a man down for the final 25 minutes of the game.

With 12 games still to play, they will be hoping to climb further up the table and challenge for a top-four finish.

Overall, it was a fascinating encounter between two of the biggest clubs in Spain, and it lived up to the hype.

The result may not have been what either team wanted but it was a fair reflection of the game and sets up an exciting end to the LaLiga season.