Result: Real Madrid 0-0 Cadiz
Date: 19 December 2021
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu
Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti made three enforced changes to the side that beat Atletico Madrid, as Luka Modric, Marco Asensio and Dani Carvajal all missed out and they were replaced by Eden Hazard, Federico Valverde and Lucas Vazquez.
Cadiz were uncompromising in the opening exchanges with fiery tackles and it took up until the 23rd minute for Madrid to have a shot on target as Valverde's cracking strike from outside the box was parried away by goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma at full stretch.
The visitors had their attacking moments on counter-attacks but they were unable to threaten shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois and although Ancelotti's men were pinning Cadiz in their own half in the latter phase of the first stanza, they could not translate that dominance into clear chances and the sides remained deadlocked at half-time.
However, Los Blancos were fired up coming from the half-time break and were only stopped from breaking the deadlock by the brilliance of Ledesma, who saved a close-range strike from Benzema and kept out header by Hazard in quick succession.
Madrid were getting closer to breaking the deadlock with chance after chance, with Ancelotti making an attacking substitution for the final 20 minutes as Luka Jovic replaced Valverde.
Benzema came close to snatching the winner for the home side nine minutes before time with low curling free-kick on the edge of the box that was brilliantly saved by Ledesma at full stretch and Ledesma kept out another curling shot by Kroos in the dying minutes as Cadiz held on to deny Madrid an eight-point at the top of log.
