MADRID: James Rodriguez’s return to La Liga ended in frustration as Real Madrid conceded a late equaliser to draw their home opener 1-1 against Valladolid on Saturday.

Rodriguez received an ovation when he was substituted early in the second half, but the Santiago Bernabeu crowd left disappointed as Real let victory escape.

Karim Benzema put Real ahead in the 82nd minute but Sergi Guardiola stunned the hosts with an 88th-minute equaliser, stopping Zinedine Zidane’s team from adding to their winning start to the league.

Still without the injured Eden Hazard, Rodriguez was Real’s main attraction in a match that marked the playmaker’s return to action more than two years after joining Bayern Munich on loan.

“After a long time, I was back at the Bernabeu,” Rodriguez said on Twitter. “It was a unique feeling. Thanks to the fans for the support. We will keep working to improve.”

The Colombia midfielder created several chances and came close to scoring on more than one occasion before being substituted by Vinicius Junior in the 57th.

“It was a good match for James, especially in the first half,” Zidane said. “We replaced him because he had a little bit of pain and we didn’t want to risk anything serious.”

Real, who opened the season with a 3-1 win at Celta Vigo, are trying to rebound from one of their worst campaigns in decades and are seeking a first league title since 2017.

Benzema broke the deadlock by scoring his 150th La Liga goal with a well-placed low shot into the corner after controlling a Raphael Varane pass just outside the area. Guardiola equalised from close range after the Real defense was caught off guard from a late counterattack.

“We leave with a bad taste in our mouths,” Zidane said. “We did the most difficult thing, which was to score while we were not playing our best, but then in three or four minutes they equalised when our defense was not positioned correctly.”

Zidane started with a different line-up from the opener in Vigo, using Rodriguez in midfield and Francisco “Isco” Alarcon in attack along with Benzema and Gareth Bale in a move that relegated Vinicius Junior to the bench.

Bale started for the second match in a row after the team failed to reach a deal for his transfer in the off-season. The Wales forward produced a good performance in the opener but was quiet against Valladolid.

The visitors had a couple of good chances to take the lead on counterattacks late in the second half. The team owned by former Brazil star striker Ronaldo had begun the season with a 2-1 win at Real Betis. In other matches, promoted Osasuna drew 0-0 with Eibar, while Celta Vigo defeated Valencia 1-0 with a winner by Gabriel Fernandez early in the first half. Athletic Bilbao followed their opening home win against Barcelona with a 1-1 draw at Getafe. Raul Garcia opened the scoring for the visitors in the sixth minute before Jaime Mata equalised in the 12th.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2019