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Error-prone Real Madrid held to 3-3 draw
Real Madrid paid for defensive mistakes as they were held to a 3-3 draw at lowly local rivals Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, missing the chance to move above leaders Barcelona in LaLiga.
Real are second on 37 points from 17 matches, one behind Barca who host Leganes on Sunday when Atletico, in third on 35 from 16 games, welcome Getafe. Rayo are 13th with 20 points.
Already missing France captain Kylian Mbappe with a leg muscle injury, Real manager Carlo Ancelotti decided to rest talisman Vinicius Jr from the start and Rayo Vallecano took a two-goal lead in the first half thanks to mistakes.
Rayo stunned the champions with a goal after four minutes on counter when Jorge de Frutos ran past Fran Garcia before crossing to the unmarked Unai Lopez whose header at the far post beat goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
They extended their lead when Abdul Mumin was left alone behind Lucas Vazquez and nodded home from a corner in the 36th.
However, a thunderous Federico Valverde strike from long range got Real back in the game three minutes later with Rodrygo finding Jude Bellingham who netted a first-time effort from inside the box to level just before the break.
Rodrygo then almost scored with an angled shot that forced a reflex save from Augusto Batalla just after the break.
But the Brazilian was not to be denied and in the 56th gave Real the lead with a deflected strike from the edge of the area.
Ancelotti brought on Vinicius Jr to provide a spark Real were missing and Batalla made a fine save to deny him, with Arda Guler having a goal ruled out for offside minutes later.
Real looked in control and appealed for a penalty for a foul on Vinicius Jr which was waved away before Rayo stunned them again when Isi Palazon moved between defenders Antonio Ruediger and Aurelien Tchouameni to deflect a cross into the net.
Ancelotti's side tried to push for the win but Batalla denied efforts from Vinicius and substitute Endrick, with Ruediger missing a clear chance late on as Real had to settle for a draw that could prove costly in the title race.
Napoli claim comeback win at Udinese
Napoli fought back to claim a 3-1 victory at Udinese on Saturday, with a pair of late goals ensuring they stayed within two points of Serie A leaders Atalanta.
The teams were level at 1-1 until 14 minutes from time when a hurried clearance from Udinese's Lautaro Giannetti found his own net before Napoli's Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa sealed the win with a low shot five minutes later.
The result means Antonio Conte's second-placed Napoli have kept pace with Atalanta after the Bergamo side won 1-0 at Cagliari earlier on Saturday. Napoli have 35 points, while Udinese are ninth on 20.
"We just need to prove that we're a great side, take it one game at a time and not think about Atalanta or whoever is on top. We are concentrated only on ourselves, that is what really matters," Anguissa told DAZN.
Udinese got a 22nd-minute penalty after Stanislav Lobotka handled and while goalkeeper Alex Meret saved Florian Thauvin's spot-kick, the rebound fell kindly for the captain to score.
While Napoli dominated the first half, they struggled to create clear chances, with Anguissa coming closest with a chance just before the break.
Five minutes after the break, Romelu Lukaku latched onto a through ball from Scott McTominay, held off his marker as he ran into the box and calmly slotted home the equaliser.
The remainder of the second half belonged to Napoli, with the two late goals sealing the points.
Asked what changed during the break that allowed Napoli to turn the match around, Anguissa said: "The coach made us realise we're a great team and we must all do more.
"We gave it our all and we won so this proves that even when we concede a goal we can score several and win the game."
Juventus escape with draw
Juventus salvaged a 2-2 draw at home to struggling Venezia after Dusan Vlahovic converted a last-second penalty in Saturday's Serie A match, extending their run of draws this season.
With the hosts heading towards their first league loss of the campaign, they got lucky when the ball struck Venezia defender Antonio Candela's arm in the final moments, allowing Vlahovic to score from the penalty spot.
With their 10th draw and fourth in a row this term, Juve are now sixth with 28 points, nine points behind leaders Atalanta. Venezia remain at the bottom with 10 points.
Despite staying undefeated in Serie A this season, Juve's record of only six wins from 16 matches was last seen from the Turin side in 1998-99. They remain with Paris Saint-Germain the only unbeaten teams in the top five European leagues.
Federico Gatti broke the deadlock for Juve after 19 minutes when a corner was flicked on towards the far post where he was left unmarked and tapped in.
At the start of the second half, Juve thought they had doubled their lead when Kenan Yildiz put the ball in the net, but the goal was disallowed after it was ruled he had nodded it into his own arm beforehand.
Despite Juve's dominance, Venezia equalised just after the hour mark when Mikael Egill Ellertsson headed home.
Venezia shocked the home fans at the Allianz Stadium seven minutes from time when Jay Idzes headed them in front after a free-kick was whipped into the box before Vlahovic saved Juve.
The Juve fans were visibly unhappy after the match, with whistling and chants heard as soon as the final whistle blew. Juve captain Danilo led his side to the stands to listen.
"There are dynamics that must always be respected here at Juventus. When you win and when you lose, you always have to go and greet the fans," he told Sky Sport Italia.
"At the end of the game we're all warm, if you make a mistake you apologise but always with respect both on our part and that of our fans."
Venezia coach Eusebio Di Francesco acknowledged his side was responsible for losing two points in the final moments.
"I believe these are two points dropped; we lacked cunning and should have managed the ball better on the corner that led to the penalty incident," he said.
"I'm sorry because a game like this is one we should have won, and we deserved it based on what we showed.
"But we ended up drawing and it's entirely our fault."
