MADRID: Thibaut Cour­tois’ impressive penalty save was not enough to keep an error-prone Real Madrid from stumbling again in their La Liga title defence.

Real lost 2-1 at home to Levante on Saturday in a match that the defending champions played with 10 men from the eighth minute when defender Eder Militao was sent off.

With his team already without their injured captain Sergio Ramos and Covid-stricken coach Zinde­dine Zidane, Marco Asensio gave Real the lead four minutes later but Jose Luis Morales equalised close to half-time.

Courtois stopped Roger Marti’s penalty in the second half. The loud smack that the impact of the ball made when Courtois repel­led it with one hand could be heard across Real’s Alfredo di Stfano Stadium, which like all stadiums in Spain is devoid of fans due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But Courtois could not deny Marti in the 78th when the forward received a pass after a smart team move executed after a corner kick and rifled the ball home.

“We got a red card in the eighth minute, that made it all much more complicated,” Courtois said. “It was too bad to concede that goal from a corner. We have to keep fighting. The league goes until May, but [Atletico] keeps on winning.”

Second-placed Real’s first loss in 10 rounds left them seven points adrift of front-runners Atletico Madrid, who have two more games still to play.

Levante rose to ninth after just their second win on the road this season.

Sevilla moved up to third in the table, a point behind Real Madrid, by winning 2-0 away at Eibar.

Lucas Ocampos put Sevilla in front with a penalty after the in-form Youssef En-Nesyri took a tumble in the box, before Jordan Moreno slid in at the front post in the second half to seal victory.

Fifth-placed Villarreal and sixth-placed Real Sociedad had to settle for a point each in their bids for the top four after drawing 1-1 but Valencia moved five points clear of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over Elche thanks to a first-half header by Daniel Wass.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2021