BARCELONA, Feb 13: The only positive that Real Madrid could take away from its scoreless draw with Villarreal on Saturday was Gareth Bale, whose good form belied his return to the pitch after more than five months on the sidelines.
The stalemate left Madrid four points clear of second-placed Sevilla as the Spanish league leader continues to struggle without injured striker Karim Benzema.
While Madrid stumbled, an 89th-minute goal by Mario Hermoso snatched 10-man Atlético Madrid a 4-3 victory over Getafe in a wild capital derby that featured a red card, three penalties, and six first-half goals.
Bale had not played for Real Madrid since three appearances in August.
Atlético vs Getafe
Even though Luis Suárez had an early penalty saved by Getafe’s David Soria, Atlético looked steady after Ángel Correa and Matheus Cunha gave it a 2-0 lead at the Wanda Metropolitano.
But Getafe roared ahead in less than 15 minutes, helped by two careless touches by the host and the same defensive errors that have undermined its title defense.
Borja Mayoral sparked the fightback by knocking in an errant shot by a teammate. Enes Unal then put his side ahead after converting penalties in the 37th and 42nd following handballs by Cunha and Thomas Lemar.
Lemar helped make up for his mistake with a cross that Correa headed home for his second goal to make it 3-3 just before halftime.
Atletico was on the verge of an embarrassing setback when Hermoso scrambled in his own miss after fellow substitute João Félix headed down a free kick in the six-yard box.
Other results
Cádiz and Celta Vigo played out a 0-0 draw, while Osasuna won 3-0 at Rayo Vallecano. (AP)
