Cristiano Ronaldo's first La Liga goal for over a month ensured Real Madrid closed the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona to seven points by squeezing past struggling Malaga 3-2 on Saturday. Ronaldo's relief was clear to see when he fired home the rebound after seeing his penalty saved by Roberto 15 minutes from time. First-half goals from Karim Benzema and Casemiro had twice put the European champions in front. However, their defensive fragilities without injured captain Sergio Ramos were also exposed as Diego Rolan and Chory Castro twice levelled for Malaga, who remain in the relegation zone.

Ronaldo's winner does though put some pressure on Barca when they travel to Valencia for a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday. The Catalans will though be buoyed by Lionel Messi ending speculation over his future by finally signing a contract extension to 2021 earlier on Saturday.