Real Madrid-Atletico Madrid Play to Draw in Derby; Cristiano Ronaldo Scores

Real Madrid were forced to settle for a point in the derby on Sunday, as Antoine Griezmann levelled for Atletico Madrid after Cristiano Ronaldo had fired the hosts in front.

Zinedine Zidane's side had the better of the game and deservedly went ahead after Ronaldo volleyed home Gareth Bale's cross in the 53rd minute.

However, the lead lasted less than five minutes as Griezmann capitalised on some poor defending to equalise.

Oblak Is One of the World's Best

Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak is reportedly a wanted man with Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Liverpool all interested in the Slovenia international, according to RMC (h/t AS).

This was another performance that showed why he has been attracting admiring glances from around Europe.

He saved brilliantly from Raphael Varane and Dani Carvajal in the first half, and his statistics at half-time made for impressive reading, per Opta:

He had little chance of preventing Ronaldo's strike, but he preserved Atletico's point in stoppage time with another brilliant stop from a Sergio Ramos free-kick.

Why Was Ronaldo Substituted?

Zidane surprised everybody by taking off Ronaldo just after the hour mark and replacing him with Karim Benzema.

The Portugal international had earlier volleyed home the opening goal, and it was no surprise to see the forward score as he is in such red-hot form.

Bale was the creator as he raced down the left before crossing for Ronaldo to fire past Oblak.

Football commentator Phil Kitromilides showed his recent record:

The former Manchester United man did not appear to be carrying an injury, which made his removal even more of a surprise.

Benzema's record against Atletico hardly inspired confidence either, per Dermot Corrigan at ESPN FC:

The most likely explanation is that Zidane was simply giving Ronaldo a breather ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash with Juventus on Wednesday. However, Real have a healthy lead in the tie, making it something of a strange move by the Real Madrid boss.

Griezmann's Celebrations on Show Again

Atletico Madrid were behind for less than five minutes before Griezmann levelled. Opta showed how he loves playing at the Santiago Bernabeu:

The France international's goal was fairly simple as he slotted the ball into an empty net after Vitolo had taken the ball away from Keylor Navas, but it was his celebration that once again caught the eye.

Griezmann is a colourful character, and he was at it again at the Bernabeu as he showed off his latest moves:

"

Sporting ✔️
Real Madrid ✔️

Antoine Griezmann’s got a new celebration  pic.twitter.com/TxrZERKexY

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 8, 2018"

The Atletico star is clearly a fan of the video game Fortnite and has already given us a few celebrations inspired by it.

Griezmann has nine goals in his last eight Atletico outings, so expect a few more from the Frenchman if he can continue his good goalscoring form.

Barcelona the Real Winners from Madrid Derby

Sunday's result means Barcelona finish the weekend even closer to the title, as they have extended their lead at the top of the La Liga table.

Ernesto Valverde's team are are now 11 points clear with just seven games left to play. They could well have the title wrapped up by the time they welcome Real Madrid to the Camp Nou for the Clasico next month. 

An early league win may also help their Champions League hopes, as they will be able to rest players for the most crucial games.

What Next?

Real Madrid welcome Juventus to the Bernabeu on Wednesday for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final. Los Blancos hold a 3-0 lead from the first game in Turin and will be hot favourites to progress.

Atletico are also in European action as they head to Sporting CP on Thursday.

Diego Simeone's side won their Europa League quarter-final first leg 2-0, and they will be up against a team that rallied to a win over Pacos de Ferreira on Sunday after players made their peace with club president Bruno de Carvalho following a row in the wake of the loss in Spain, per AP (h/t Fox Sports).