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MADRID. — For only the second time since the start of October, Atletico Madrid dropped points in the Spanish La Liga title race on Monday.
And, when Real Madrid won the day after, the alarm bells started ringing.
“La Liga is alive,” read the front page of AS on Tuesday.
Zinedine Zidane was asked in his post-match press conference the same night, if a task that looked impossible, suddenly felt more achievable.
Atletico’s lead has been cut from 10 points to five, in the space of a week, even if that is due in part to the calendar.
Real Madrid now two matches ahead of their city rivals instead of one.
If Atletico, Barcelona and Sevilla all took maximum points from games in hand, Atletico would be 11 clear of Barca and Real Madrid, 12 ahead of Sevilla.
But the table, for now at least, appears closer, making it easier to inject some much-needed tension into a title race that for several weeks has felt increasingly cut and dried.
The drama, though, hinges on the possibility of an Atletico downturn, the type of hypothetical that coaches and players prefer not to engage with.
Zidane answered on Tuesday by insisting “nothing has changed”, while Diego Simeone has made a habit of responding to any question about the title by simply naming Atletico’s next opponent.
“Sevilla,” he replied to Spanish television channel Movistar last month, before promptly walking off.
The gap could well narrow further.
Spanish La Liga Fixtures
Today: Granada v Atlético Madrid (3pm); Sevilla v Huesca (5:15pm); Eibar v Real Valladolid (7:30pm); Barcelona v Deportivo Alavés (10pm).
Tomorrow: Getafe v Real Sociedad (3pm); Real Madrid v Valencia (5:15pm); Levante v Osasuna (7:30pm); Villarreal v Real Betis (10pm).
Monday: Cádiz v Athletic Club (10pm). — AFP.
Online Reporter