Karim Benzema was on target for Real Madrid as Zinedine Zidane’s side were held to a 1-1 draw at nearby Leganes.
In action on a Monday night game for the first time in the Primera Division this term, Madrid had to come from behind in another disappointing performance as they claimed a point against a spirited Leganes side at Butarque.
Jonathan Silva gave Leganes the lead on the stroke of half time as he side-footed past Keylor Navas from the edge of the box after Martin Braithwaite had laid the ball back on a quick break.
That left Real Madrid staring at a 10th La Liga defeat of the season, but Benzema levelled six minutes into the second half when he saw a shot saved initially by Ivan Cuellar, but beat the Leganes goalkeeper at the near post from the rebound.
The Frenchman was set up by some superb skill from Luka Modric, who turned a Leganes player and threaded a lovely ball through to the striker just inside the box.
Modric was at the heart of most of Madrid’s best play with Toni Kroos absent in a midfield also featuring Isco and youngster Federico Valverde.
Zidane’s side saw more of the ball and pushed for a winner late in the game, with Marco Asensio and Marcelo testing Cuellar in the closing stages.
Leganes also had the ball in the net late on as substitute Youssef En-Nesyri slotted a low shot past Navas, but the Moroccan was marginally offside when the pass was played through.
En-Nesyri had another glorious chance right at the end as he raced onto a long pass and advanced into the area, but his indecision allowed Raphael Varane to get back and make the all-important tackle.
The game ended in a draw, which was just about fair on the balance of play. It sees Real Madrid stay third, four points behind Atletico and 13 adrift of leaders Barcelona with six rounds remaining.
Leganes are comfortable in 11th place, with 41 points, 20 fewer than Real.
