“We still have an eight-point lead and there's nothing to worry about because the league is far from over,” Cristiano Ronaldo insisted during post-game talks on Sunday.
The Portuguese winger was unlucky not to score at a few occasions against Malaga. However, he provided the assist for Real Madrid’s only goal of the night.
Meanwhile, team mate and goal scorer Karim Benzema missed at least a couple of glorious chances whereas the referee controversially turned down one or two penalty calls from Los Blancos.
Santi Cazorla finally stole the show with a very late stunning free-kick to halt Real Madrid’s perfect run in all competitions stretching from quite long ago. Canal Plus quoted Emilio Butragueno as saying:
“It is true we have a big lead, but there is still competition. Ten points seemed a distinct advantage, and eight is still a significant one. It is the same as it was before though. The league is not finished.”
The 2011/12 Spanish La Liga table speaks for itself ahead of Matchday 28:
| POS. | TEAM | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | D | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRIMERA DIVISIÓN 2011/2012 | ||||||||||
| 1 | Real Madrid | 27 | 23 | 2 | 2 | 89 | 24 | +65 | 71 | |
| 2 | Barcelona | 27 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 77 | 19 | +58 | 63 | |
| 3 | Valencia | 27 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 43 | 31 | +12 | 47 | |
“We are about to play difficult matches on the road and must focus on each one at a time. We want to win again,” Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas told EP to retort claims of complacency.
“We had a 10-point lead and it's annoying to drop it by two, but there are 11 games left and we'll do our best to win.”
Next up, Real Madrid will play the Yellow Submarines of Villarreal. The match is expected to be tough
regardless of Villarreal’s low position in La Liga standings. Dropping more points would only increase Barcelona’s confidence.
Besides, there’s El Clasico to play and the Catalans will be keen to apply all the pressure in the world against bitter rivals Real Madrid when both sides will meet at the Camp Nou later in the season. “The league is as it is. The direct confrontation that will take place later this season could be decisive in the title race,” ex-Madrid player Fernando Hierro declared according to EFE.
Will Real Madrid end up throwing away their precious lead at the top of La Liga? Was the 2-point dropping against Malaga actually just a bump in the road to domestic glory?
Barcelona will most likely defeat Granada at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night and thus temporarily close the gap to 5 points. How would such a thing play on Real Madrid’s mind ahead of the crunching Villarreal match?
Mar 20, 2012 4:00pm EST: Barcelona vs Granada
Mar 21, 2012 5:00pm EST: Villarreal vs Real Madrid
