Real held at Almeria

Champions Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw at Almeria yesterday and missed out on the chance to draw level on points with leaders Barcelona. Real appeared to be cruising to a third successive Primera Liga win after Raul headed in during the first...

Champions Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw at Almeria yesterday and missed out on the chance to draw level on points with leaders Barcelona.

Real appeared to be cruising to a third successive Primera Liga win after Raul headed in during the first half, but with just under 10 minutes left Pablo Piatti beat Gabriel Heinze to Albert Crusat's cross and volleyed past Iker Casillas.

With nine matches played, Barcelona are top with 22 points, with Real in third on 20. Undefeated Villarreal are second on 21 after their 4-1 win at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, the same margin by which Barcelona defeated Malaga.

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