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Real Madrid kept their diminishing title hopes alive with a last-gasp equaliser from Karim Benzema in the Madrid derby against Deigo Simeone's Rojoblancos. Zinedine Zidane's side were still find themselves five points behind their cross-town rivals and have now gone two points behind Barcelona as well as a result of the Blaugrana's 2-0 win over Osasuna on Sunday.
Ahead of their fixture against Elche as they're set to resume their league campaign, here is a look at the latest Real Madrid news.
Emilio Butragueno blasts refereeing decisions in Madrid derby
Former Real Madrid striker Emilio Butragueno has taken aim at the refereeing decisions against his side during their clash against Atletico Madrid.
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The Blancos' appeals for a penalty towards the end of the first half of the game when the ball appeared to have glanced off Felipe's outstretched hand were turned down, which could have leveled the score at the time. This is despite referee Hernandez Hernandez being advised to look at the VAR monitor on the sidelines.
Butragueno was unhappy with the decision made by the official, saying;
"During the first half there’s a play which ends up being decisive, the process of it all I believe is right, VAR tells Hernandez Hernandez to check the replay so that he makes the decision, as they should. We believe it’s a penalty, it’s quite obvious that the ball hits his hand. He makes the decision, we weren’t lucky with Hernandez Hernandez once more."
The former Blancos legend referred to as El Buitre continued;
"The ball hits his hand, that’s clear and we can all agree on that. From our own point of view, it’s a penalty, but there are professionals who have to make the decisions."
"We don’t want to say a lot more, it was a pity because it was a critical moment in the game which could’ve meant the equalizer and we would’ve played the second half in a different way. What else can we say? I insist, the referee goes, VAR tells him to go, we think that’s the way it’s supposed to happen and that the referee has to make a decision, but we weren’t lucky."
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane refused to comment on the incident when asked about it in the post-match interview.
Barcelona a potential destination for Real Madrid target David Alaba
Real Madrid have been tipped to be the favorites to land Bayern Munich superstar David Alaba on a free, but arch-rivals Barcelona are also interested in his services, as per reports. After over a decade in Bavaria, the Austrian has confirmed that he will depart from Bayern Munich come summer and is wanted by several top European clubs.
Reports suggest that newly-elected Barcelona president Joan Laporta has begun negotiations to bring Alaba to Barcelona and could potentially be successful in their attempts to land him. It should, however, be noted that Barcelona were reported to be in a financial crisis much worse than Real Madrid's, so it remains to be seen how they can sign Alaba. Apart from the two Clasico giants, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are also believed to be keen on the defender.
Carlo Ancelotti plotting Real Madrid raid
Everton are plotting moves to sign Lucas Vazquez and Isco Alarcon this summer, as per reports in Italy. The two Real Madrid stars' futures are up in the air and could be set for summer departures, with the winger's contract set to expire at the end of the season while the midfielder's deal comes to an end in 2022.
More importantly, the report claims that Ancelotti and Everton hope these arrivals will convince James Rodriguez to remain at the club.
The Colombian moved to Merseyside just last summer but is already contemplating a return to Spain. Should Everton want to sign the Spanish pair, though, they face massive competition, particularly from Serie A. AC Milan are keen on Vazquez, while Juventus are keeping tabs on Isco.
