Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo shooting the ball next to Athletic Bilbao's Unai Nunez during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on Wednesday — AP MADRID, Apr 19 (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo came through for Real Madrid again, this time with a backheel flick that saved his team from a loss in the Spanish league.
Ronaldo netted an 87th-minute equalizer with a subtle touch of the ball with his back to the goal, redirecting a low shot by Luka Modric from outside the area to give Madrid a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.
The goal added to Ronaldo's impressive scoring run and kept Madrid in the fight for second place, three points from Atletico Madrid, which visits Real Sociedad on Thursday.
Barcelona, which drew 2-2 at Celta Vigo on Tuesday, holds a 12-point lead at the top of the standings.
Inaki Williams put Athletic ahead with a chip shot from inside the area in the 14th, but Madrid pressured throughout the match at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium until finally breaking through with the neat close-range touch by Ronaldo, who extended his scoring streak to 12 consecutive matches to tie his best run with the Spanish club. He has 22 goals during that streak, and 26 goals in total in his last 15 matches.
Valencia stayed in fourth place after a 2-1 home loss to Getafe, its second straight setback after a run of nine consecutive matches unbeaten.
It had won its last five games at Mestalla Stadium, with its last defeat coming against Real Madrid in January.
Loic Remy scored a goal in each half for Getafe, which moved to eighth place with the victory.
Espanyol lost 1-0 to Eibar at home, extending its winless streak to five matches and increasing pressure on coach Enrique "Quique" Sanchez Flores.
Fans jeered the team and called for Quique's dismissal after the loss, the team's third straight.
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