La Liga 2016/17: Real Madrid 2-1 Real Betis, 5 Talking Points

Real Madrid has not lost to Betis since 2012, 6 games in a row, having won 5 of these games, including in the first round 6: 1, on the road.

With Barcelona in the lead by just a single point, Cristiano Ronaldo, 32, and crew will now engage in the “Battle of the Real“, taking on Real Betis at Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Barcelona were in danger of being toppled from the top of La Liga standings on Sunday after they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at lowly Deportivo La Coruna.

Zidane has conceded that his side “struggled” against Betis, but the Frenchman was delighted to secure all three points late on. Furthermore, of his last 23 goals, 19 have come with Real Madrid losing or level.

Zinedine Zidane’s men enjoyed a strong start to the game with both Alvaro Morata and Toni Kroos going close with efforts from outside the box.

“I tried to touch the ball with my head, and we collided”, he said.

“I don’t think they’re more risky or anything has changed since the last time we spoke”, Zidane said, before breaking into a knowingly wide grin. “The pressure is there, it doesn’t end here, there’s still a lot to play for and we know that”. We must congratulate all the players because we’ve had to be patient.

Goalkeeper Keylor Navas initially gifted the visitors the lead by spilling Antonio Sanabria’s strike into his own goal. “Its part of the game, he can make mistakes, like everybody”. Manager Zidane now wants his players to focus on each and every game till the end of the season. Real now have 62 points from 26 games while Barcelona have 60 from 27 games.

“The most important thing for me is the support Keylor received from his team-mates”, added Zidane.

And they did exactly that, with Luis Suarez notching his 20th league goal of the season, finishing well from inside the box in the first minute of the second half. However, Los Blancos played another bad game and they risked losing some points at home.