Almost a late, late opportunity for Athletic! Cordoba darts down the left wing once again before curling a great cross into the penalty area. It picks out Garcia and sets up the midfielder to shoot, but his thumping effort is poorly hit and deflects off Susaeta n the left-hand side of the box.
90' +3
Cristiano Ronaldo gets yellow.
Ronaldo is the latest player to enter the referee's book for a single trip on Balenziaga after a late Madrid attacking move fails to result in a chance on goal. Time is quickly running out for the visitors.
90' +1
Dani Carvajal gets yellow.
Cordoba gets himself into a good position deep down the left flank and tries to skip past Carvajal, but he's chopped down by the full-back and wins his side a free-kick in a promising position. It fails to result in a chance on goal, though, as Madrid have plenty of bodies back to deal with the danger.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
89'
It's all Athletic at the moment as they enjoy their best spell of possession since the break. Madrid now find themselves on the back foot after dominating for most of the evening, and they now look as if they'd be happy to leave with a draw despite pushing so hard for a winner.
87'
The resulting free-kick initially fails to result in a chance on goal, but Athletic are able to win themselves a corner over on the left wing. It's whipped in by Susaeta and causes problems for Madrid, but the visitors are just about able to deal with the danger before the home side come back once again.
86'
Sergio Ramos gets a second yellow card and is sent off.
RED CARD! Ramos has only just returned from injury and is now set to spend another spell on the sideline. He rises high and ends up catching Aduriz in the side of the head with a flailing arm, leaving the referee with no choice but to show him his second yellow card.
85'
Chance for Ronaldo! Marcelo twists and turns over on the left-hand side of the Athletic penalty area as he tries to get a cross away, and he's eventually able to chip one onto the head of Ronaldo. The Portuguese meets it well and takes on Kepa, but the goalkeeper pulls off a decent save to deny him a late goal.
83'
Iñigo Córdoba enters the game and replaces I. Williams.
Meanwhile, Williams has made way for Inigo Cordoba for the home side.
82'
M. Kovačić enters the game and replaces Isco.
Borja Mayoral enters the game and replaces K. Benzema.
And the second is Borja Mayoral, who takes the place of Benzema up front.
Madrid have decided to make a double substitution as they try to find a way in front. The first player to come on is Mateo Kovacic, who replaces Isco.
Minute
Description
81'
Almost a chance for Benzema! The striker darts into the Athletic penalty area and just about manages to latch onto a clever lofted pass from Modric, but he can't make decent contact with the ball before the linesman's flag is raised for offside.
79'
Ramos is almost playing as another centre-forward whenever Madrid push forward. This time it's Carvajal who fires a curling cross into the middle of the hosts' box and towards Ramos, who tries to latch onto the ball but is beaten to it by the fist of Kepa.
77'
Another great take by Kepa! Modric manages to dance his way into the right-hand side of the Athletic box before fizzing a low pass across the face of goal. It looks set to find Ronaldo, but he can't quite latch onto the ball and loses out to Kepa at the vital moment.
75'
Madrid cause all sorts of problems deep down the right flank before Carvajal fires a deflected cross behind for a corner. It's sent short to Modric and worked back to Kroos, who then fizzes a cross into the box that does Kepa does well to collect ahead of Benzema.
73'
Casemiro gets yellow.
Casemiro commits a mistimed challenge midway inside the Madrid half of the pitch after Athletic push forward on a rare attack, and the home side win themselves a free-kick in a promising position. They're unable to do much with it, however, and the visitors quickly regain possession.
72'
Lekue enters the game and replaces De Marcos.
Athletic have made their second change of the night, with Inigo Lekue coming on to replace De Marcos.
71'
Thumping strike by Ronaldo! Athletic just can't find a way out of their own half of the pitch due to the pressure being put on them by Madrid. Isco manages to tee up Ronaldo with a deft chip towards the edge of the penalty area, and the Portuguese spins quickly before unleashing a rocket of a shot that smashes the outside of the post. Madrid are getting closer...
69'
Madrid keep piling bodies forward as they try to break the deadlock. They're able to win themselves a corner over on the right wing, but it fails to result in a chance on goal and is well cleared by Etxeita before the ball can pick out Ramos.
67'
Modric drifts out wide and manages to pick up the ball in a pocket of space over on the right flank. He then tries to pick out Ronaldo with a looping cross towards the Portuguese, but it's overhit and sails behind for an Athletic goal-kick.
65'
There are players lying all over the pitch as Madrid try to put more pressure on the Athletic back line. Two of the hosts players are left on the ground after being swept aside as the visitors pile forward, but the home side are just about able to deal with the danger before Casemiro commits a clumsy foul.
63'
Huge block by Rico! Ronaldo is the latest Madrid player to penetrate the hosts' box before spinning and cutting a clever pass back. It's Isco who latches onto the ball and shoots, but Rico is there to throw his body in the way and stop Kepa from being tested.
61'
Ronaldo and Isco link up really nicely, setting up the latter to sprint into the left-hand side of the Athletic penalty area. He then tries to set up Benzema to shoot with a clever back-heel, but the Frenchman can't quite latch onto the ball and the home side hold on.
59'
Williams, who has arguably been Athletic's standout performer so far, causes more problems over on the right wing before chipping a delightful cross into the penalty area. Garcia rises high and tries to meet the ball, but it ends up flying just a few inches over his head at the far post.
57'
Xabier Etxeita gets yellow.
Ouch! Luka Modric darts through the middle of the pitch on a quick run as he tries to take advantage of the space left available in front of him, but he's brought crashing to the ground by an almighty sliding challenge from Etxeita, who sends the Croatian flying up into the air and earns himself a booking.
56'
Susaeta goes close to opening the scoring! Williams dances his way into the right-hand side of the Madrid box and pokes a deft pass into the path of Susaeta. He lifts the ball over Navas and then shoots, but from a tight angle he's only able to send a deflected shot into the side-netting.
55'
A curling cross from Carvajal isn't fully dealt with by the Athletic defenders, allowing Kroos to tee up Casemiro to shoot. The Brazilian does so and sends a deflected strike high up into the air, and Kepa is just about able to rush out and punch the ball away from danger before being clattered into by Carvajal.
53'
Kroos is almost able to test Kepa for the first time since the break at the end of a good piece of play from the visitors, but San Jose does really well to throw himself in the way of the German to block the midfielder's 20-yard strike.
51'
A lofted pass is fired into the Madrid penalty area and manages to pick out Aduriz, who had made a clever run into the right-hand side of the box. The striker brings the ball down well and then tries to tee up a team-mate behind him, but, annoyingly for him, there's nobody there.
49'
Garcia goes down inside the box, but nothing is given! Athletic quickly push forward once again and try to carve out a chance on goal with a looping cross. The ball almost falls to Garcia in front of goal, but the midfielder goes down before he's able to latch onto it. He immediately screams for a penalty, but the referee - rightly - tells him to get back to his feet.
48'
Great chance for Aduriz! The striker gets himself into a really good position on the edge of the Madrid penalty area and unleashes a low strike, but it's sent slightly too near to Navas and is well saved by the Costa Rican with a diving stop.
46'
We're underway once again!
45' +2
And then Benzema goes close! The striker is the latest player to almost fire Madrid into the lead just before half-time, but this time it's Etxeita who throws his body in the way at the vital moment and saves Athletic.
45' +1
Great clearance by Nunez! The set-piece is sent across the edge of the penalty area by Kroos and picks out Isco, who chips a cross towards Varane and manages to find the defender. It looks as if he's going to give the visitors the lead, but Nunez is there to stick out a foot and deny him just a few yards off the line.
45'
De Marcos gets yellow.
Marcelo embarks on a marauding run down the left flank and looks set to cut inside and penetrate the box, but he's clattered into by a mistimed sliding challenge from De Marcos and ends up being sent crashing to the ground, resulting in a free-kick for Madrid in a very dangerous position.
43'
A bit of space opens up deep down the left wing, and Ronaldo is quite to run into it. He manages to get himself into a good position near to the byline and quickly crosses, but his low pass into the penalty area is underhit and fails to find Benzema in front of goal.
41'
As we near the half-time break, the pace of the game has slowed down somewhat. Madrid are seeing more of the ball than they were earlier in the evening but are struggling to break down Athletic, who have defended well so far and are managing to frustrate their opponents.
39'
San José enters the game and replaces Iturraspe.
Iturraspe gingerly makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Mikel San Jose.
38'
This doesn't look good for Ander Iturraspe, who has gone down off the ball and isn't moving at all. The Athletic medical staff are examining the midfielder, and it looks as if his game might be over.
36'
Big opportunity for Ronaldo! Another well-placed cross is fired into the Athletic box by Carvajal and isn't cleared fully by the hosts' back line. That allows Ronaldo to get a shot away, but the Portuguese can't quite hit the target and sends his bouncing half-volley into the side-netting.
34'
More good play by Athletic almost results in another chance for Aduriz. Williams and De Marcos link up well, setting up the latter to swing a dangerous cross into the heart of the Madrid penalty area. It looks set to pick out Aduriz, but the striker can't quite get the better of Raphael Varane and isn't able to test Navas again.
32'
Benzema storms into the right-hand side of the Athletic box and takes on Susaeta, who comes out on top and knocks the ball behind for a corner. It's fired in by Kroos and bounces out to Marcelo, who unleashes a thumping volleyed shot that isn't hit at all cleanly and loops high and wide of the goal.
31'
And now Kroos goes close! A low Carvajal cross isn't fully dealt with by the Athletic defenders and bounces out to Kroos, who is all alone on the edge of the penalty area and quickly fires a wonderful strike that sails mere inches wide of the far post.
30'
Inches away from Aduriz! De Marcos flies down the right flank and cuts inside before taking on Casemiro, who barges the full-back to the ground and gives away a free-kick in a dangerous position 30 yards out. It's clipped in by Susaeta and picks out Garcia, who knocks a side-footed pass across the face of goal that goes narrowly goes close to teeing up Aduriz but can't quite find the striker.
28'
Great strike by Williams! The winger is involved in yet more good play by Athletic as they continue making a nuisance of themselves deep inside the Madrid half of the pitch, and he ends up penetrating the box before forcing Navas into making a decent diving save with a thumping low shot.
27'
Williams picks up the ball in a pocket of space over on the right flank and quickly tries to play a one-two with Aduriz. The striker's touch is a good one and looks set to pick out the youngster once again, but Ramos is just about able to get a head on the ball to stop it from doing so.
25'
Madrid patiently pass the ball around midway inside the Athletic half of the pitch as they try to find a way through the sea of defenders camped in front of them. Marcelo is eventually able to fire a cross into the middle of the box, but Xabier Etxeita is there to easily clear the danger.
23'
Almost a costly mistake by Benzema! A terrible pass from the striker rolls across the edge of the Madrid penalty area and straight to Susaeta. The winger controls the ball well, spins and quickly tees up Mikel Rico, who shoots but can't guide his effort through the group of white shirts just in front of him.
21'
Benzema and Casemiro play a quick series of passes between themselves before Toni Kroos decides to shoot from 25 yards out, but he doesn't quite catch the ball well enough and makes life easy for Kepa, who is comfortably able to stop the German's rather tame effort.
19'
Half a chance for Williams! Athletic are showing plenty of promise whenever they're able to penetrate the final third of the pitch. Markel Susaeta causes all sorts of problems on the edge of the box before unleashing a thumping low cross-cum-shot, and it ends up finding Williams in front of goal. He can't adjust his feet quickly enough, however, and the ball ends up deflecting off his ankle and just wide of the near post.
17'
An attempted Athletic attacking move breaks down and Madrid counter-attack once again. Marcelo is brought down in the build-up but Ronaldo is able to take over before shooting from 25 yards out, but his low effort lacks the power or precision to get the better of Kepa in the middle of the goal.
15'
Ronaldo steps up and shoots from the set-piece, but he can't quite hit the target with his curling strike and Kepa is able to watch the effort sail several yards wide of the far post.
14'
Space opens up for Cristiano Ronaldo, allowing the Portuguese to sprint down the left wing on a determined run. He then takes on Unai Nunez and momentarily gets the better of the youngster, but he's then tripped over by the defender and wins a free-kick for his side in a promising position just outside of the box.
13'
Chance for Aduriz! Williams darts down the right wing on a marauding run before knocking a clever pass into the path of Oscar De Marcos. The full-back then curls a well-placed cross right onto the head of Aduriz, who meets the ball well and forces Keylor Navas into making a smart diving save.
12'
The resulting free-kick is chipped into the visitors' penalty area and momentarily causes a few problems for the Madrid defence, but Aduriz can't quite keep the ball in play and, with an uncharacteristically poor touch, knocks the ball behind for a goal-kick.
11'
Sergio Ramos gets yellow.
It's only taken Sergio Ramos 11 minutes to receive a yellow card on his return to the Madrid side. He ends up catching Garcia in the side of the head with a flailing arm as they battle for the ball, leaving the referee with little choice but to book the centre-back.
10'
Madrid move the ball around well again as they keep putting Athletic under plenty of pressure deep inside their own half of the pitch, but a swinging cross from Benzema over on the left wing fails to pick out a team-mate in front of goal and is easily cleared by the hosts.
8'
After narrowly avoiding going behind, Athletic quickly push forward on a swift counter-attack down the right flank. It's Raul Garcia who bursts forward before sending a clever cross into the box, where Inaki Williams stretches but can't quite make decent contact with the ball in front of goal.
7'
Karim Benzema hits the post! Wonderful, slick passing play from Madrid deep inside the home side's half of the pitch results in Isco chipping a wonderful cross over to Benzema. The striker chests the ball down and quickly shoots, but his thumping strike ends up smashing the woodwork after leaving Kepa Arrizabalaga rooted to the spot.
5'
Aritz Aduriz goes down inside the penalty area, but nothing is given! Mikel Balenziaga gets himself into a pocket of space deep down the left wing and quickly swings a lovely cross into the box. It looks set to find Aduriz, but the striker goes down after tangling with Marcelo and can't reach the ball. He immediately screams for a penalty, but the referee isn't at all interested and waves play on.
3'
Madrid immediately go on the front foot as they try to carve out an early chance on goal. They move the ball around nicely deep inside the Athletic half of the pitch before Dani Carvajal tries to chip a cross into the box, but he's closed down quickly and ends up knocking the ball behind for a goal-kick.
1'
We're off! Madrid get us underway, attacking from right to left.
A narrow win for Madrid at home to Malaga in their last LaLiga outing meant they were able to close the gap between themselves and Barcelona, and another draw for the league leaders this afternoon means Los Blancos have been presented with one more chance to get nearer to their rivals. With nine points currently separating them, Madrid really need to make tonight count and head home with all three points under their belts.
It could prove to be a difficult evening for Madrid, however, as they haven’t been in the best of form and head into tonight’s clash one point behind Sevilla in fifth place. They’ve failed to win either of their last two consecutive league away games, and they haven’t gone three without a victory in a single season since May 2009. At this stage of the campaign, they really can’t afford any more slip-ups.
To make matters worse for Jose Angel Ziganda’s men, they were humbled by minnows Formentera in the Copa del Rey during the week, sending them crashing out to the third-tier side in front of their own fans. They, like Madrid, desperately need a win this evening, but they’ve only managed to enjoy one of those in the last 15 meetings between the two teams.
There’s just under 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this this evening…
Real Madrid substitutes: Casilla, Theo, Nacho, Ceballos, Kovacic, Vazquez, Mayoral.
Real Madrid XI (4-3-1-2): Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Isco; Benzema, Ronaldo.
Meanwhile, Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has made three alterations to the team that featured in their last league outing, with Kiko Casilla, Jesus Vallejo and Lucas Vazquez making way for Keylor Navas, Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos, the latter of whom returns to the starting line-up after recovering from a broken nose.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s LaLiga game between Athletic Club and Real Madrid at San Mames.
Jose Angel Ziganda has decided to make two changes to the Athletic side that drew against Deportivo La Coruna last weekend, with Xabier Etxeita and Raul Garcia coming into the starting line-up to replace Eneko Boveda and Aymeric Laporte.
They’re able to take on an out-of-form Athletic side at a good time, though. The Basque side have had to endure a thoroughly disappointing first third of the season, and that has left them just outside of the relegation zone in 16th place. Only one of their previous 10 LaLiga games has ended in a victory, although they managed to pick up back-to-back draws in their last two league outings.
Athletic Club substitutes: Herrerin, Lekue, Boveda, Cordoba, Aketxe, San Jose, Merino.
Athletic Club XI (4-2-3-1): Kepa; De Marcos, Etxeita, Nunez, Balenziaga; Iturraspe, Rico; Williams, Garcia, Susaeta; Aduriz.
HALF-TIME: ATHLETIC CLUB 0-0 REAL MADRID
It's been a thoroughly entertaining game so far, with both sides enjoying their fair share of chances in front of goal. Madrid haven't been at their best but arguably should be ahead after being presented with at least three good opportunities, but Athletic have defended well and remain firmly in the game. A huge second half awaits for both teams!
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: ATHLETIC CLUB 0-0 REAL MADRID
Athletic try to push forward one last time, but the referee blows the final whistle before they're able to do so and brings an end to what was a thoroughly entertaining goalless draw. Madrid were on top for most of the night and really should have come away with a win, but, once again, they failed to carve out enough clear-cut chances and were unable to break down a stubborn Athletic back line.
The draw is certainly a better result for Athletic than it is for Madrid, and it moves them up to 15th place in the table, six points clear of the relegation zone. The point means Madrid are back in fourth spot once again after temporarily dropping below Sevilla, but they're equal on points with the Andalusian club and are eight behind league leaders Barcelona.
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