Getafe end Real’s 15-game unbeaten streak

BARCELONA, Spain (AP):

Getafe ended Real Madrid’s 15-game unbeaten streak after defeating the Spanish league leaders 1-0 in the capital derby yesterday.

Striker Enes Unal got the hosts’ winner in the ninth minute after he stole the ball from Madrid defender Éder Militão and beat Thibaut Courtois.

Madrid went no closer to an equaliser than Luka Modric’s strike that hit the crossbar in the 17th. Eden Hazard and Marcelo came on as half-time substitutions but could not spark a comeback, as Getafe dug in to earn their first victory over its star-studded crosstown rivals since August 2012.

Carlo Ancelotti gently chastised his team for not playing at their best in their return from a winter break that lasted less than two weeks.

‘WE ARE STILL LEADERS’

“We can’t get carried away by this loss,” Ancelotti said. “We are still leaders and are excited about what is to come … . A player who normally stands out for his defensive play gifted them their goal. There is not much more to say, except that it looked like we thought we were still on vacation.”

Madrid’s previous loss came on October 3 when they fell 2-1 at Espanyol. Since then, they had won 13 and drawn two across all competitions.

Ancelotti had steered Madrid to wins over Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Sevilla and Inter Milan during its unbeaten run.

But they were unable to rally after a mistake by Militão, who tarnished his otherwise excellent season with centre back partner David Alaba.

Toni Kroos appeared to have snuffed out Getafe’s attack when he recovered the ball and shuffled it over to Militão, but Unal pressured him hard and poked the ball clear before scoring.

Getafe, who beat Osasuna 1-0 in the last round before the winter break, rose three points clear of the relegation zone in 15th place.

Courtois started the match after it was determined that his positive COVID-19 result from earlier this week was erroneous. Madrid were without in-form winger Vinícius Júnior after he tested positive for the coronavirus.

Yesterday’s matches were the first to be played since Spanish health authorities put back in place caps on attendance after the steep rise in COVID-19 infections. All games are limited to 75 per cent of capacity, with some regions like Catalonia and the Basque Country applying even lower limits.

BACK ON TRACK

Ángel Correa scored twice as Atlético Madrid beat Rayo Vallecano 2-0 to end their worst losing run since Diego Simeone took over the club a decade ago.

The defending champions had not lost more than two league games in a row under Simeone. But they finished 2021 with consecutive defeats to Mallorca, Madrid, Sevilla and Granada.

Atlético leapfrogged Rayo to reclaim fourth place, the last spot that will earn a Champions League berth.