Real Ruling the La Liga Landscape

Big matches call for bigplayers to stand up.

- Nevin Thomas

And that’s precisely what happened when Atletico Madrid visited archrival Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Cristiano Ronaldo showed everyone that he still has plenty to offer amidst strong rumours that coach Zinedine Zidane is looking to replace the World Player of the Year with Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.

The match, however, belonged to another player, Atletico’s Antoine Griezmann. The Frenchman has been proving, albeit sporadically, that he can match the ‘super-human’ standards set by Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He scored the crucial equaliser for Atletico in the 85th minute in the 1-1 draw, cancelling Pepe’s 52nd minute strike.

The two dropped points for Real were supposed to be a boost for second-placed Barcelona, but the Catalan side failed to make a mark as it lost 2-0 atMalaga.Neymar was booked twice and dismissed half-way into the second half of the match. With three points separating the top two in La Liga, all eyes will be on the El Clasico at the end of the month, which in all likelihood will be the title decider.