Malaga vs. Real Madrid: Score, Reaction from 2016 La Liga Match

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a crucial penalty as Real Madrid drew, 1-1, at Malaga on Sunday, and it was another huge dent in their hopes of catching Barcelona, who are nine points ahead of their great rivals.

Ronaldo nodded Los Blancos ahead before missing from the 12-yard spot just minutes later—a mistake that ended up proving costly after Malaga held their own and equalised through Raul Albentosa.

The result temporarily lifted Madrid level with second-placed Atletico, but it's already looking like it'll take a miracle for manager Zinedine Zidane's men to dethrone Barca come the end of the campaign.

Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Pepe were all missing for Los Blancos through injury, while Raphael Varane was suspended for the clash in Andalusia, and those absences were telling, as Real looked far off their usual pace.

Without those essential names up front, the attack looked jaded, although Squawka noted Real's defence has been out of sorts of late:

Ronaldo would eventually have a huge impact on proceedings, but Zidane's leading man and the only remaining component of the BBC trio started slowly at La Rosaleda in what was initially a frustrating appearance.

ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan used WhoScored.com statistics to put the Portugal captain's efforts into context and displayed just how far Real's talisman was from the action:

But it wouldn't be long before that trend turned, and Ronaldo headed on a begging free-kick delivered by Toni Kroos to put Los Merengues ahead, even though there was a question of offside.

Vine user Juzoso provided footage of the opener:

The hosts' fortunes looked to have worsened, too, after Weligton was signalled to have tripped Ronaldo in the box, but Malaga No. 1 Carlos Kameni was equal to his poor spot-kick attempt, per Twitter user Gabigoal:

"

Ronaldo misses penalty! Still 1-0. #rmcf #MALRMA https://t.co/KOPi2fI6Xc

— 11 (@GabigoaI) February 21, 2016"

Bleacher Report's Tim Collins argued justice was served following Ronaldo's earlier offside strike:

The first half ended with Real 1-0 ahead, leading in shot attempts and possession, but without their full-strength attacking lineup, Zidane's men could hardly consider themselves out of the woods.

Malaga started seeing the healthier chunk of chances in the second period, and Albentosa capitalised on Malaga's pressure in the 66th minute.

Daniel Tejedor/Associated Press/Associated Press

Weligton unearthed some space on the left side of Keylor Navas' area and crossed toward a lurking Albentosa at the back post, firing past the Costa Rican stopper at the first time of asking.

BBC Sport's Andy West couldn't help but notice the irony of the centre-back pairing showing their muted forwards how to get the job done:

Real brought James Rodriguez off the bench in place of Isco with 15 minutes remaining, but they simply didn't boast the same polished edge without Bale and Benzema present in attack.

The dying minutes of the match saw both teams search for the deciding strike under a cloud of tension, but favourites Real were ultimately pacified and disappointed to leave with just a point to their name.

Real remain unbeaten under Zidane's guidance, but the manager will find it difficult to mask the worrying fact his lineup looked considerably weaker without several key stars present.

Post-Match Reaction

Alessandra Tarantino/Associated Press

The title race looks all but done for Real Madrid, as they missed out on another opportunity to pull Barca closer within their reach, but Zidane refused to concede his side's chances have fallen through.

In the wake of Sunday's defeat, the manager told the media his team will continue to fight until the crown's destination is decided, per Goal's Matthew Rogerson:

"

Not at all have we said goodbye to La Liga, although it is now more difficult. We will never give up because there are many points to play for. There are many points at stake and others may also drop them. I do not think about others but instead look to follow whatever happens to work for our goals. Also I have to do analysis of myself, not only of the players, because we have worked well all week.

We will not switch off. This concern does not exist. There is also the Champions League and we will fight to the end no matter what. We have had some difficulties [against Malaga] but we have not played badly. We had our chances.

"

It's true Barcelona's commitment across three campaigns may yet see their title plans falter, but with nine points now separating them from Real, manager Luis Enrique's side can perhaps afford several slip-ups and still emerge triumphant.