Atlético title pursuit stalled by late Madrid equalizer

Atlético Madrid conceded late to Real Madrid to draw 1-1 on Sunday and leave the league leaders at greater risk of being caught in their pursuit of the Spanish title.

Karim Benzema, back in the Madrid squad after an injury layoff, scored in the 87th minute after Luis Suárez's early goal for Atlético at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

Atlético was in control most of the match and squandered several chances to add to its lead, paying the price in the end and wasting its opportunity to increase its advantage at the top of the league.

Atletico Madrid's Luis Suarez celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP PhotoManu Fernandez)

The draw kept Diego Simeone's team five points in front of Madrid and only three points ahead of second-place Barcelona, which won 2-0 at Osasuna on Saturday. Atlético has a game in hand over both Madrid and Barcelona.

Atlético is trying to win its first league title since 2014. Either Barcelona or Madrid have won the title every season since then.

Atlético hasn’t beaten Madrid in 10 straight league matches — since 2016 — with five losses and five draws. It lost 2-0 at Madrid in the teams’ previous encounter last year.

Atletico Madrid's Luis Suarez celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP PhotoManu Fernandez)

Madrid, coming off a disappointing home draw against Real Sociedad, had won three in a row against Atlético in all competitions.

The match was played without fans but there was a large gathering of Atlético supporters outside the stadium before and during the game. Their chants and goal celebration after Suárez scored could be heard inside the venue.

They were loudly heard near the end of the match when Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak made two superb close-range saves off consecutive attempts by Benzema. Oblak also stopped the striker's free kick attempt a few moments later.

Atletico Madrid's Luis Suarez celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP PhotoManu Fernandez)

He couldn't stop Benzema in the final minutes, though, as the striker found the net from near the penalty spot after a pass by Casemiro in one of the few mistakes by the Atlético defense during the entire match.

Atlético started the game pressing forward and opened the scoring in a breakaway in the 15th minute. Suárez found the far corner with the outside of his right foot while facing Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois inside the area after a pass from Marcos Llorente.

Suárez, Atlético’s leading scorer with 17 goals, hadn’t found the net in five games in all competitions. The 34-year-old Uruguay striker who joined from Barcelona this season moved within two goals of Messi, the league’s scoring leader this season.

Atletico Madrid's Luis Suarez, left, celebrates with Marcos Llorente after scoring his side's opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP PhotoManu Fernandez)

Madrid tried to gain control in the second half but it was Atlético that kept threatening the most in counterattacks, squandering several good scoring chances.

Madrid remained without the injured captain Sergio Ramos, while Atlético had the return of defender Kieran Trippier after he completed a 10-game ban for breaking betting rules.

Atlético was coming off two consecutive setbacks in the league at home — it lost 2-0 to Levante and drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo.

Atletico Madrid's Luis Suarez celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP PhotoManu Fernandez)

Madrid, meanwhile, had won four away matches in a row in all competitions, including 1-0 at Atalanta in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League. Atlético lost 1-0 to Chelsea in its first leg in the European competition.

Atlético hadn’t scored in the last three league derbies against Madrid, since Antoine Griezmann’s goal in early 2019. It has never gone four matches without a goal against its rival.

Madrid has never lost in four visits to Atlético’s Metropolitano stadium in the league. It is the only league team unbeaten there.

Real Madrid's head coach Zinedine Zidane talks with Toni Kroos during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP PhotoManu Fernandez)

The draw kept Simeone from breaking Luis Aragonés’ club record of 308 wins as a coach.

THRILLER IN HUESCA

Fran Beltrán scored a 76th-minute winner as Celta Vigo beat last-place Huesca 4-3 after twice squandering the lead.

Real Madrid's Raphael Varane, left, and Atletico Madrid's Yannick Carrasco vie for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP PhotoManu Fernandez)

Celta moved to eighth place, while Huesca stayed four points from safety.

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni

Players confront each other during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP PhotoManu Fernandez)

From left, Atletico Madrid's Geoffrey Kondogbia, Koke, Felipe and Mario Hermoso react after Real Madrid's Karim Benzema scored his side's 1-1 equalizer during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP PhotoManu Fernandez)

Barcelona defeated Real Sociedad 1-0 on Thursday to make sure Real Madrid will have to wait at least another week to celebrate the Spanish league title.

Barcelona's away victory reduced its gap to Madrid to 15 points, and it can further cut it to 12 points on Sunday if it defeats Rayo Vallecano at home in a game it has in hand.

Barcelona and Madrid, which won 3-1 at Osasuna on Wednesday, will have five games left. Madrid, trying to clinch its second title in three seasons, doesn’t play this weekend.

Barcelona's plaers celebrate after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the opening goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)

“Madrid was lucky that it took a while for us to join the fight,” Barcelona defender Dani Alves said.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored with a close-range header in the 11th minute to give Barcelona its first win after consecutive home losses against Cádiz in the league and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League. The Catalan club had not lost two straight home games since 2003.

The victory against Sociedad left Barcelona tied on points with Sevilla, which defeated Levante earlier Thursday to stay in position to secure a Champions League place next season. Second place also is important as it guarantees a spot in the Spanish Super Cup.

Barcelona's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates after scoring the opening goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)

“We suffered a lot but in the end we got three golden points and stayed in second place,” Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández said. “It was an important victory even though we didn’t play too well.”

Defending champion Atlético Madrid, which was held to a 0-0 home draw against relegation-threatened Granada on Wednesday, stayed two points behind Barcelona and Sevilla. Fifth-place Real Betis trailed Atlético by four points and was two ahead of Sociedad.

Sociedad has not beaten Barcelona in 12 straight league matches. The Basque Country club hadn't lost in seven consecutive league games at home, all of them with clean sheets.

Barcelona's Dani Alves, left, fights for the ball with Real Sociedad's Diego Rico during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)

Barcelona extended its unbeaten streak on the road to 13 league matches, having won five in a row.

Barcelona defender Ronald Araújo left injured early in the second half, and the team's other central defender, Gerard Piqué, appeared to get injured in the first half but stayed until being substituted in the 82nd while being loudly jeered by the Sociedad fans.

Piqué, who also heard some boos every time he touched the ball during the game, has been in the spotlight in recent days after stolen audio leaked to the media exposed a series of conversations between him and Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales talking about behind-the-scenes negotiations on several issues.

Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong, left, vies for the ball with Real Sociedad's Igor Zubeldia during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)

SEVILLA RECOVERS

Sevilla improved its chances of making it to the Champions League with a 3-2 win at second-to-last-place Levante.

Jesús “Tecatito” Corona scored two first-half goals and Jules Koundé added another after halftime.

Barcelona's Dani Alves reacts during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)

Levante captain José Luis Morales had to be comforted by teammates and opponents after the match because of a missed penalty kick that could have equalized the game at 2-2 in the second half. Koundé gave Sevilla a 3-1 lead about 10 minutes later before Roberto Soldado pulled the hosts closer again.

Levante stayed tied with last-place Alavés, six points from safety.

CÁDIZ FALLS AGAIN

Barcelona's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, left, tries to score next to Real Sociedad's goalkeeper Alex Remiro during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)

Cádiz followed up its stunning 1-0 win against Barcelona at the Camp Nou Stadium with a 3-2 home loss against Athletic Bilbao.

The result left Cádiz just outside the relegation zone.

Eighth-place Athletic was up 3-0 by the 33rd. It played a man down from the 71st after Mikel Vesga was sent off.

Barcelona's head coach Xavi Hernandez gestures during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)

RELIEF FOR RAYO

Rayo won 1-0 at Espanyol to end a 13-match winless streak in the league and move closer to salvation.

Sergi Guardiola scored in the 42nd to leave the southern Madrid club seven points from the relegation zone in 14th place. Espanyol, sitting in 12th-place, was two points ahead of Rayo.

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni