Real Madrid fire blanks against Santander

Real Madrid's slump continued on Wednesday as they could only draw 0-0 away to Real Santander leaving them with a return of just one point in their last two La Liga matches. Coach Jose Mourinho rang the changes after the 1-0 defeat by Levante at the weekend which included Jose Callejon and Lassana Diarra coming into the side but it was another ineffective performance. It was a scrappy game with misplaced passes and Real were not able to get into their stride, while their individual stars were also unable to come to their rescue. Cristiano Ronaldo had a header well saved by keeper Tono Rodriguez before the break and in the second half the introduction of Angel Di Maria did make some difference but he was unable to change the course of the match. The Argentine saw a powerful strike parried by Tono but at the other end keeper Iker Casillas also blocked well from Oscar Serrano. In the closing stages Real were reduced to pumping the ball forward hopefully and Racing were able to hang on. The draw leaves Real Madrid on seven points, two adrift of Malaga, who won 1-0 on Wednesday over Athletic Bilbao, Valencia and Real Betis, who have both got a game in hand. The result is good news for the reigning domestic and European champions Barcelona who lock horns later on Wednesday with Valencia. Elsewhere on Wednesday Atletico Madrid recorded their second successive 4-0 win as they beat pointless Sporting Gijon with Colombian striker Falcao scoring a double following on from his hat-trick at the weekend. A second half strike from Santi Cazorla gave Qatar-owned Malaga victory over Athletic Bilbao and Levante's good form continued with a 2-1 win away at Rayo Vallecano. On Tuesday Sevilla had missed the chance to take provisional top spot but nevertheless maintained their unbeaten run as they hung on for a 0-0 draw at Osasuna. The hosts had plenty to prove after their thrashing by Barcelona and attacked from the outset with Roland Lamah in particular causing plenty of problems but despite their much improved performance there was no reward. Juan Nino had excellent opportunities in both halves while Sevilla also survived a penalty claim when Diego Perotti appeared to handle the ball in the area. A Giuseppe Rossi strike put Villarreal on course for their first win of the season with a 2-0 victory over Mallorca with Nilmar also on target in the second half. Real Sociedad beat Granada 1-0 in slightly fortuitous circumstances with a Daniel Estrada cross catching out the Granada keeper Roberto Fernandez who had come off his line. On Thursday Real Betis, another side with a 100 per cent record, face Zaragoza.