Primera División: Real Madrid play 81 minutes outnumbered

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Real Madrid defender Eder Militao about to be sent off

Photo: Kiko Huesca / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock

Since the beginning of December things have seemed to be looking up again at Real Madrid: After a weak start to the season, Zinédine Zidane's team hurried from victory to victory, won seven games and drew two more times.

In the duel with the ninth place in the Primera División, UD Levante, Los Blancos had to admit defeat 1: 2 (1: 1) - despite an early lead, and also due to an earlier red card.

Real's Brazilian defender Eder Militao had crossed the path of the launched Levante striker Sergio León 20 meters from his own goal.

The team of referees assessed the collision as preventing a clear scoring chance, Militao saw the red card (9th) after the video evidence.

Outnumbered, the favorite did not succeed in bringing through their own playing style.

Real managed to take the lead on the counterattack: Marco Asensio used an outside instep pass from Toni Kroos deep from his own half for a quick counterattack.

Levante, however, managed to equalize before the end of the first half, when José Luis Morales shot a cross from the half-field at the far post with a direct tap into the goal (32nd).

After an impetuous action by Real's Vinicius Junior, who fouled his opponent exactly on the white-marked border of the penalty area, Real's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois initially saved the lead: the Belgian jumped into the lower right corner when the penalty was due, into which the shooter Roger Martí aimed would have.

In the 78th minute, Martí scored his goal after all, after a flat corner kick, the Spaniard scored from about 14 meters away.

Despite the recent good results in the league, Real confirmed a negative trend in the last few games with the defeat: the previous week, the Madrilenians had failed in the Copa del Rey at the third division CD Alcoyano, even before that there had been a defeat in the national Supercup against Athletic Bilbao.

Real now only has outsider chances in the Spanish championship race: City rivals Atlético are already seven points ahead of the top of the table, and Atlético has played two games less than Real.

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