Real Madrid CF missed a golden opportunity to extend their lead over Sevilla to six points at the top of the La Liga Santander table when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Elche at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
Instead, everything remains at status quo with a four-point gap between the top two teams after Sevilla were also held to a draw by Valencia earlier this week. Meanwhile, Los Blancos are awaiting the results of a medical assessment on Karim Benzema's injury.
The prolific Frenchman has been phenomenal all season for Real Madrid. He has already scored a total of 22 goals in all competitions thus far in the current campaign, and has stayed relatively fit. However, he was forced out of Sunday night's match in the 58th minute due to an issue with his left hamstring. He walked straight into the tunnel while visibly grabbing his leg.
Real Madrid has yet to confirm the gravity of the injury, and there are no details about how long the player will be out. For now, reports from various news outlets are claiming that the club's priority is to make sure that he will be fit for the first leg of the club's UEFA Champions League last-16 match against Paris Saint-Germain on February 15.
It was an underwhelming evening for Benzema, after he failed to convert a penalty after Vinicius Junior was brought down inside the area. The Frenchman took the spot kick and sent it flying way above the crossbar. Less than ten minutes later, it was Elche who took the lead with a fine header from Lucas Boye off a cross from Fidel.
Real Madrid found an themselves 0-2 down after Pere Milla scored again in the 76th minute, and the hosts were lucky to salvage a point via a late penalty by Luka Modric and a stoppage time goal from Eder Militao.
On top of the tough evening on the pitch, Marca reports that Benzema's home was broken into while the match was going on at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Frenchman lives in a luxury complex at San Sebastian de los Reyes, but it appears that security in the area was not enough to keep robbers away from the empty mansion. No details have been released about the any damage or stolen items and it remains unclear if suspects have been identified.