Spanish sides Atletico Madrid and Barcelona have reportedly missed the chance to equal Real Madrid's 45-year record of nine consecutive wins at the start of a league campaign, following their twin disappointments against Osasuna and Espanyol respectively.
Barcelona's surprise goalless draw against Osasuna and Atletico's 1-0 defeat by Espanyol on Saturday helped Real to seize the opportunity to close the gap on the top two with a 2-0 win over Malaga.
According to the Mirror, despite the introduction of Arda Turan, Adrian and Crisitian Rodriguez, Atletico Madrid failed to manage an equaliser inside the last ten minutes as Espanyol held on for hard-fought win.
Meanwhile, the report said that Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 13th goal of the season, and along with Angel di Maria's goal in the 46th minute, led Real to victory against Malaga at the Bernabeu, leaving them three points behind Barcelona and two adrift of Atletico in the La Liga.
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