Sergio Ramos

Alfredo Relaño looks back on Real Madrid's latest defeat, to Alavés, another blow for Julen Lopetegui's team who have not scored in four matches.

The game began with a colossal error from Toni Kroos, who sloppily knocked a ball back towards his own area

Tonight, Real Madrid play in Moscow, a city which, in my generation's collective consciousness, has traditionally held an aura of mystery..

The most fervent Atlético-supporting friend I have sent me a text straight after the derby. "With VAR or without it, life stays the same," he wrote.

After the all-round smiles of Roma in the Champions League, spirits were dampened with a Madrid performance that faded and a game that looked more likely to end in a draw as the clock ticked down.