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Billed as the 2020-21 La Liga title decider, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid played out a fascinating 1-1 draw at the Wanda Metropolitano, with the visitors stealing a point late on.
The result keeps the third-placed Los Blancos five points behind Atletico Madrid, with Barcelona profiting the most from the stalemate, as they are just three points behind the league leaders, who have a game in hand.
Atletico Madrid began the game in stellar fashion, underlined their superiority with the opening goal in the 15th minute.
Marcos Llorente rode Nacho's challenge and burst through on the counter before releasing Luis Suarez with a perfectly- timed pass. The Uruguayan responded with an outside-of-the-boot finish, curling the ball past Thibaut Courtois.
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Atletico Madrid controlled the rest of the first half, as Real Madrid looking bereft of ideas, although they had a potential penalty ruled out as the opening 45 minutes came to an end.
The hosts started the second half superbly and could have put the game to bed before the hour-mark, but Thibaut Courtois made some crucial saves to deny Yannick Carrasco and Luis Suarez. Jan Oblak was not to be outshone, though, making a double save off Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. as the game reached its finale.
There was late drama, though, as Real Madrid scored against the run of play, with Benzema and Casemiro sharing a 1-2 in the Atletico Madrid box before the Frenchman slammed home the equaliser to force a share of the spoils.
On that note, here are the five major talking points from a thrilling encounter:
#1 Luis Suarez hurts Real Madrid yet again
Barcelona fans may be casting a wistful eye at Luis Suarez right now, as the Uruguayan looks like a player reborn under Diego Simeone.
With 17 goal involvements (12 goals, five assists) in as many games against Real Madrid, Suarez clearly views Los Blancos as one of his favourite opponents.
Leading the line for Atletico Madrid is no easy task, but this was classic Suarez, channelling his desire to press hard and run the channels, leaving his opponents with no room to breathe.
The finish for the first goal was exquisite, and it won't be a surprise if he ends up with the Pichichi award this season. He may have to beat a former teammate for that, though.
#2 Karim Benzema returns against Atletico Madrid with a bang
It was clear where the problem was in Real Madrid's last few games, as Los Blancos struggled to deal with the absence of Karim Benzema, with Mariano Diaz and Isco being pale imitations of the real deal.
Benzema's return, though, ought to have been the catalyst for an improved Real Madrid performance.
On a historic evening for Benzema, the Frenchman struggled, looking quite rusty, as he was unable to deal with the Atletico Madrid press. He spurned a couple of great chances to score but continued to persist.
Benzema finally had his reward late on, profiting from Casemiro's excellent set-up to score an equaliser that could turn out to be crucial in the title race.
He is the man for the big moments - this being the fifth time he has scored after the 88th minute this season - the most of any player in the league.
#3 Marcos Llorente shines but comes up short yet again
In his previous four games against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid's Marcos Llorente ended up on the losing side on three occasions.
Clearly, the 26-yr-old had the motivation to end his hoodoo against his former side. It was the perfect occasion, as he id experiencing his best season and is at the peak of his powers.
What a performance it was - the return of Kieran Trippier allowed Marcos Llorente to return to his high energy style on the right channel, making countless runs to lead counter-attacks, the best of which resulted in Atletico Madrid's goal.
Plenty of Real Madrid fans were upset when the midfielder was sold to Atletico Madrid, and the sight of him and Mario Hermoso shining in their rivals' colours ought to sting quite a bit.
As it turned out, Llorente failed to beat his former side yet again but perhaps going on to win the La Liga title ought to be the best way to respond.
#4 Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone outfoxes Real Madrid's Zinedine Zidane
Historically, Diego Simeone has had a hard time beating Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid. His poor run of results against the Frenchman continued. This game, however, was as close as the Atletico Madrid boss has come to beating Real Madrid.
Realising Real Madrid's strength along the spine and weakness down the wings, Simeone unleashed his wingbacks, with Kieran Trippier, Marcos Llorente and Yannick Carrasco tormenting Real Madrid for much of the game.
Even after Zidane switched to a four-man midfield in the second half, Atletico Madrid had the answers, compacting their defensive set-up through the middle.
Simeone ought to be left wondering what more he could have done, as Atletico Madrid ought to have ended the game as a contest multiple times in the second half. His tactics were perfect, but sometimes football is all about luck.
And who is luckier than Zinedine Zidane?
#5 La Liga title race heats up
87 minutes into the game, and Atletico Madrid were staring at an eight-point lead over Real Madrid and a five-point lead over Barcelona, all with a game in hand.
A La Liga title race is never truly done, though, and that proved so once again.
A sweetly-struck goal from Karim Benzema means things look much closer at the summit now. Real Madrid and Barcelona have a clasico to play; Atletico Madrid could potentially crash out to Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League and start a downward spiral, and things could change yet again.
Nevertheless, it has been a fascinating season, with Barcelona and Real Madrid counted out multiple times, only for the two clubs to keep coming back and keeping up the pace. What a final 12 games we potentially have in store!
