Real Madrid, now second in the table behind Girona, missed a number of opportunities as Rayo Vallecano held them to a 0-0 draw at home on Sunday.
The home team applied constant pressure and had 22 shots, but they were unable to score despite dominating from the outset.
Real Madrid failed to score for the first time this season, and as a result, Carlo Ancelotti’s team is now on 29 points, two behind surprise leaders Girona, who defeated Osasuna 4-2 on Saturday.
Barcelona, in third place, has 27 points following a thrilling 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad.
“I’m not worried about not scoring, we’ve tried in many ways, it hasn’t worked out and that can happen,” coach Ancelotti said.
“The match was good, with a good attitude and a lot of chances, we lacked a good goal, we are hurt by the result but the match was good in my opinion.”
In the first half, Rayo’s goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski denied attempts from Federico Valverde and Joselu, leading to a solid defensive performance from the team.
In the 66th minute, Vinicius Jr. appeared to have given Real Madrid the lead, but his attempt was disqualified due to an earlier offside.
“It was a very comprehensive game from the team,” Rayo striker Raul de Tomas told DAZN. “We know what this stadium is like but we have made a great effort and I am very proud of my team mates.”
On Wednesday, the Spanish powerhouses will host Braga in the Champions League.
