Real Madrid Stumble in La Liga's Bizarre Weekend, but It's Hardly Time to Panic

Ninety-three minutes were on the clock and just one remained. Rafa Benitez was checking his watch. Sporting Gijon's coaching staff were frantically doing the same. Inside El Molinon, a deafening chorus of whistles were imploring referee Javier Estrada Fernandez to blow for full time.

But they weren't there yet, not quite. The hosts had one last act to survive.

Nacho Cases, who'd run himself into the ground chasing Gareth Bale and Luka Modric all night, had fouled left-back Marcelo. A juicy 25 yards out and on a favourable angle, it was Cristiano Ronaldo territory.

Recognising the opportunity, the Portuguese had raced to the site of the infringement to grab the ball, to make the situation his own. Then, just before placing the ball on the turf, he pulled it to his face, gave it a kiss. 

Ronaldo was asking for a dash of good luck. 

It had been that sort of night for Real Madrid. In Sporting's notoriously charged arena, the oldest professional venue in the Spanish game, the visitors had knocked incessantly on the door but simply hadn't found a way to walk through.

Ronaldo had been denied a strong penalty shout. Headers had glanced wide. Shots had hit the side netting. Ivan Cuellar had pulled off an extraordinary save to deny Ronaldo.

In all, Real Madrid launched 27 shots on the Sporting goal but couldn't find a path into the back of it, a dash of good luck escaping them, Ronaldo left to ask for it in the final minute but ultimately having it denied. 

Jose Vicente/Associated Press

On a truly bizarre opening weekend in La Liga, Real needed that dash.

This was a weekend in which almost 500 minutes of league action were required before a goal was scored from open play. One in which Lionel Messi missed a penalty. One in which Roberto Soldado scored (yes, Roberto Soldado). One in which Real Betis' Antonio Adan made two of the worst goalkeeping errors you'll see this season and wasn't punished for either. One in which there were eight goals in nine games (the record low for a round is 11, and only Granada vs. Eibar remains). 

It was a weekend that seemed to exist under a hex, a curse, a La Liga detractor somewhere stirring a potion and cackling in front of roaring fire, instructing his followers to embrace the darkness.

Those who escaped it unscathed needed some fortune to do so. In the capital, Atletico Madrid needed a nasty deflection to get past a gallant Las Palmas. In the Basque Country, Barcelona needed Aymeric Laporte and Gorka Elustondo to momentarily fall asleep to edge past Athletic Club. In Valencia, Celta Vigo needed a one-man advantage to scrape by Levante. In Catalonia, Espanyol needed Alvaro Vazquez to miss a tap-in from one yard to hang on against Getafe. 

The rest, though, well, they fell victim to a weekend the LFP will wish it could have a mulligan for. Though in modern football everything must be explained, every triumph and failure pinned to a list of factors, this couldn't be. It was a weekend simply too weird for explanations. The cackle won. 

Jose Vicente/Associated Press

Afterwards, however, Marca predictably bemoaned the lack of goals currently being seen at Real Madrid. "Five barren games under Benitez," it cried, somehow in the belief that inconsequential pre-season outings that preceded Sunday's draw in Gijon stand as some kind of barometer.

They don't.

Sunday's performance wasn't one to panic about, either. 

In fact, against Sporting Benitez almost looked intent on immediately dispelling any notion he'll play defensive football this season. In a wild first half, his attacking quartet of Ronaldo, Bale, Jese and Isco operated with remarkable positional freedom, the 4-2-3-1 setup actually functioning more like a 4-2-4 with the forward roles only loosely defined. 

In it, Bale was considerably more involved than he was last season, and Ronaldo's ability to play down his favoured channels was unaffected. To an extent it was encouraging, and after the interval Real spent almost 45 unbroken minutes laying siege on the hosts' goal, creating chance after chance. 

If you separate the performance from the heavyweight-vs.-underdog narrative of the contest, the process was actually relatively sound from Real Madrid, even though the desired outcome wasn't reached. In football, it happens. A draw and a clean sheet are hardly reason for panic. 

Jose Mourinho, remember, started at Real Madrid in exactly the same fashion.