Real Madrid vs. Malaga: Winners and Losers from La Liga

Real Madrid missed the chance to return to the top of the Primera Division table after they were held to a 0-0 draw by lowly Malaga.

Rafa Benitez's side found the visitors a tough nut to crack at the Santiago Bernabeu, despite having 31 shots in the contest, per Squawka Football.

Real's failure to pick up maximum points means they now sit one point behind leaders Barcelona—who defeated Las Palmas earlier on Saturday—in the standings.

Malaga even survived the latter stages with 10 men, Nordin Amrabat seeing red in the 77th minute for striking Real defender Marcelo.

Goalkeeper Carlos Kameni turned in an inspired display for the away side, who now have three points for the season despite failing to find the net in any of their six league outings.

Even when Kameni was beaten, Malaga benefited from a touch of good fortune as Isco's shot appeared to cross the line before being cleared by Weligton.

Here B/R takes a look at the winners and losers from what was an absorbing scoreless draw in the Spanish capital.

Winner: Malaga

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Considering they arrived in Madrid stuck in the relegation zone and without a goal to their name, Malaga were impressive in both defence and attack.

They stood firm at the back to keep Real's star-studded XI at bay, while also occasionally offering a threat at the other end of the field.

While they have yet to record a league victory this season, Javi Gracia's side have now conceded only three goals in six outings. They have also played Barcelona and Sevilla already.

Loser: Ronaldo

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It was a frustrating night for Real Madrid, but no one felt it more than Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese began the game on the brink of reaching 500 career goals, but the pressure of finding the net and bringing up the milestone seemed to get to the forward.

Per statistician MisterChip on Twitter, "Cristiano Ronaldo took 14 shots and did not score a goal for the FIRST TIME as a Madrid player."

Ronaldo's best chance came in injury time, when he managed to somehow head Marcelo's cross over the top from inside the six-yard box.

Winner: Carlos Kameni

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Carlos Kameni would have turned up at the Santiago Bernabeu expecting a busy night. That's exactly what he got, too.

But, while Real Madrid made him work hard for the clean sheet, the Cameroonian coped admirably with nearly everything that was thrown his way.

Even when he did find himself in a spot of trouble, his defence came to his rescue.

He set the tone early with a number of impressive stops, as journalist Sid Lowe pointed out on Twitter during the first half, "Kameni looking like he might be slipping into stop everything mode."

It was hardly surprising that WhoScored.com named Kameni their man of the match. According to their stats, he made eight saves during the match, as well as claiming four crosses.

Loser: Nordin Amrabat

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/Getty Images

For 76 minutes, Amrabat was outstanding up front for Malaga.

The Morocco international was a handful for the hosts, despite feeding off scraps.

His low cross in the first half presented Juan Carlos with a glorious chance to break the deadlock, but his team-mate couldn't convert the opportunity from a tight angle.

However he turned from hero to zero when, in a moment of madness, he lashed out when put under pressure by Marcelo.

The flailing arm caught the Real Madrid left-back in the face, leaving the referee with no choice but to show a red card. 

As freelance journalist Dermot Corrigan said on Twitter, "Not so clever by Amrabat—who was having a super game, but lost it completely."

Thankfully for the player, his team-mates managed to hang on without him to pick up an unlikely point.

Winner: The Calls for Goal-Line Technology

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Real will be criticised for failing to beat a team that started the match second from bottom in the table.

However, had goal-line technology been in use, Los Blancos would have broken the deadlock straight after Malaga went down to 10 men.

Visiting goalkeeper Kameni allowed a shot from Isco to sneak through his hands. He could only watch on as the ball slowly trickled towards the net.

Defender Weligton managed to get back to hack it away, though replays seemed to show the whole ball had crossed the line before he made the clearance.

Real Madrid Info tweeted a picture of the incident, via Canal+.

On such fine margins can games be won and lost, and Madrid will hope that missing out on two points against Malaga doesn't cost them at the end of the campaign.

Loser: Real Madrid's Physio

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Real were already without James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale, so the last thing they needed to see was another attacking player forced off with an injury.

Jese, however, had to be carried from the field in the second half after seemingly hurting himself while striking an attempt at goal over the bar.

He looked visibly distressed at the situation, though manager Rafa Benitez was upbeat over the player's health after the game. He said in his post-match press conference, per Dermot Corrigan, "Jese had cramps, which is what we think he has."

It will be hoped Jese is back sooner rather than later, particularly with the Madrid derby against Atletico coming up on October 4.