Real Madrid vs. Eibar: Score and Reaction from 2016 La Liga Match

Eibar held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, which extended Real's winless streak to four games in all competitions—their longest run since 2006—and saw them fail to leapfrog rivals Atletico Madrid back into first place. 

Fran Rico stunned the hosts early on with Eibar's first-ever goal against Real in La Liga, before Gareth Bale equalised.

Los Blancos started without Marcelo, James Rodriguez, Casemiro, Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos. The absence of the latter three was particularly noticeable from the outset, as the team lacked their usual composure in midfield and looked disorganised at the back.

Further forward, they created a number of chances but weren't as ruthless as usual either, with wayward finishes and poor touches often letting them down in the final third.

The visitors took the shock lead after just five minutes, when Rico escaped the attentions of Dani Carvajal to nod in Ander Capa's cross at the near post, per Sky Sports La Liga:

Los Ameros' lead lasted just lasted 11 minutes, though, with Real hitting back when Cristiano Ronaldo stood the ball up for Bale at the far post, and the Welshman made no mistake from close range:

The goal was a landmark for the winger, who has a penchant for headed goals, as WhoScored.com demonstrated:

Minutes later, Eibar were almost ahead once again. Pedro Leon burst into the box from the right and unleashed a powerful effort on goal, but Keylor Navas was equal to it.

Bale had a similar opportunity to score another header after Ronaldo picked him out once again, but Bale failed to replicate his earlier finish. Likewise, when the Welshman did the same for his team-mate soon after, Ronaldo could not hit the target.

Alvaro Morata and Nacho came on at half-time, but the hosts struggled to impose themselves on their opponents to the dismay of the crowd, via ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:

Leon had another opportunity to restore Eibar's lead, but a weak finish directed straight at Navas let him down.

Real were eventually able to regain a foothold in the game as they enjoyed an extended period of possession in their opponents. They struggled to convert their chances, however. 

Ronaldo was unusually profligate, failing to connect entirely with an attempted close-range volley. After Ronaldo was picked out in acres of space behind the back line, a poor first touch allowed Asier Riesgo to rush out and smother the ball.

JAVIER SORIANO/Getty Images

Morata had the ball in the net when he turned home a rebound from a Ronaldo header that Riesgo stopped, but it was disallowed for offside.

Bale continued to pose a threat and almost scored from what appeared to be a speculative header from the edge of the area, but while his attempt beat Riesgo, it only rattled the post.

Bleacher Report UK's Karl Matchett and the Mirror's Ed Malyon remarked on their struggles:

Los Blancos have now drawn four successive matches in all competitions heading into the international break.

The time off will give some of the players the opportunity to return to fitness, and they'll face Real Betis after the break on Oct. 15. The winless run is a real concern, but they'll have a strong chance to turn it around in their next match.

Should they fail to do so, manager Zinedine Zidane could find himself under pressure despite lifting the UEFA Champions League in May.

Post-Match Reaction

Per Corrigan on Twitter, Zidane spoke of the need to turn things around:

"

I am responsible as the coach of this team, I must look for solutions. We must change this.

This is not a crisis. This is just October, we cannot go crazy. But something is happening for sure, three draws in Liga in a row. 

We will analyse things again, and when they come back from the international break we must change, as we cannot continue like this.

"

He added:

Meanwhile, Eibar manager Jose Luis Mendilibar was pleased with the result and the performance:

He added: "To get anything here you must do everything very well, and for Madrid to not be at best. They did not create much today."