Diego Alves Blocks Real's Title Charge

Real Madrid's hopes of winning 'La Liga' were dashed after being held to a draw by Valencia, for whom two players were instrumental: former Real player Dani Parejo and goalkeeper Diego Alves.

The Brazilian keeper stopped everything he could, even some impossible shots but he couldn't prevent Real Madrid - who struggled to go through the gears following their display of power against Bayern - equalising twice, the second in injury time.

The Brazilian full-back, Marcelo, denied that the "hangover" from the match against Bayern was the reason they dropped two points on home turf. "We gave it everything we had on the pitch," he said after the match.

In any case, no one expected this result, which is also unusual from a stats angle as it is Real Madrid's first home draw this campaign. The last time they drew at home was last season against Espanyol, way back in December 2012.