Leaders Real Madrid earned a 1-1 draw against Real Betis on Saturday when Aitor Ruibal's brilliant strike canceled out Jude Bellingham's best 12th goal of the season. Bellingham put Madrid ahead early in the second half at the Benito Villamarin after a brilliant combination with Brahim Diaz. But Ruibal drilled an angled shot from outside the penalty area into the top corner to give Betis a point and extend their unbeaten run in La Liga to 11 games.
“It was a good match, competitive and even, the result is reasonable,” said Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. “I'm satisfied because you won't always be able to win every match.”
Madrid moved one point clear of Girona but could lose top spot on Sunday if surprise challengers beat neighbors Barcelona in a Catalan derby. The visitors thought they had taken the lead when Diaz headed in from close range in the 16th minute after an excellent interaction between Bellingham and Rodrygo.
Bellingham turned the ball towards Rodrygo, who slid the ball between the legs of a defender. An attempted clearance deflected off Rodrygo and caused Diaz to get a tap, but the Brazilian was offside in the build-up. Chasing a fifth successive home league win, Betis came close twice as Ayoze Perez saw an effort well saved by Andriy Lunin before Willian Jose bent an effort narrowly wide of the far post.
Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva clawed home a long-range drive from Luka Modric but could not prevent Bellingham from breaking the deadlock eight minutes after half-time.
The England midfielder retrieved the ball deep in Betis territory, close to the touchline, found Diaz and whipped in the retrieved pass as he stepped into the penalty area and stroked past Silva.
Madrid's lead lasted just thirteen minutes as Ruibal was given far too much time and space before storming home from 20 yards to grab his first league goal in two and a half years. Both sides pushed for a winner and former Madrid striker Isco almost destroyed his old club when he headed against the post.
Joselu dribbled painfully wide at the other end in stoppage time, before Lunin tipped over central defender Chadi Riad's header with the last touch of the match. “Nobody can say it's a bad point against Real Madrid, but I think we deserved the three points,” said Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini.
Las Palmas continued their promising run on their return to the top flight, winning 1–0 at Alaves thanks to Kirian Rodriguez's goal which moved them back up to eighth place.
Barca could close the gap on Madrid to two points if they beat Girona on Sunday, while Atletico Madrid will look to bounce back from last weekend's defeat at Montjuic when they played bottom club Almeria.
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