Leganes 2-2 Real Madrid: 5 talking points as Los Blancos relegate Javier Aguirre’s men with hard-fought draw | LaLiga 2019-20 

Real Madrid concluded their La Liga season with a dramatic draw against Leganes on Sunday
Real Madrid concluded their La Liga season with a dramatic draw against Leganes on Sunday

Real Madrid and Leganes shared the spoils on the final matchday of the La Liga season, with a 2-2 draw played out at the Estadio Butarque.

The visitors came into the game with nothing to play for, having wrapped up their 34th league title last week. However, it was a very different matter for Leganes as they were playing for their future in La Liga.

It took just nine minutes for Real Madrid to break the deadlock and it was none other than Sergio Ramos who rose highest to head home a freekick by Isco. This sparked the hosts into life and they continuously found space down the left flank of the Madrid defence and got a deserved goal when Bryan Gil equalised right on the stroke of half time from an acute angle.

Marco Asensio restored Real Madrid's advantage seven minutes into the second half but in a major show of defiance, Leganes got their second equaliser 12 minutes from time when Roger Assale found the target.

The final minutes were one-way traffic, with the hosts doing all they could to force an unlikely winner, with chance after chance presenting itself, but Real Madrid ultimately held on.

Here, we shall be highlighting five talking points from the fixture.

#5 Real Madrid's winning run ends

Real Madrid have, by far, been the most in-form team since football returned, with a 10-game winning run helping them depose Barcelona at the summit of the table and cementing their status as champions of Spain.

In this run, they have faced marquee sides like Villarreal, Valencia, Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao but it took an unfancied Leganes- who have been battling against relegation for most of the season- to end that run.

#4 Leganes fail to take chances

CD Leganes fashioned a host of chances
CD Leganes fashioned a host of chances

Given all that was at stake, it came as no surprise that Leganes were more motivated than their visitors, with Zinedine Zidane's men lacking the usual intensity and compactness which have been their hallmark in recent weeks.

Time and again, the hosts found themselves in space behind the Real Madrid defence and had an incredible 11 shots in the game, with seven of those hitting the target. They ultimately put two past Alphonso Areola, which is something nobody has managed in the last 10 matches.

It should have inarguably been more, with the final 10 minutes providing no less than four good chances for Leganes but they were let down by either poor finishing or indecision in the Real Madrid box.

Most jarring of all were the misses by Javier Aviles, who came off the bench with 10 minutes to go and found himself with two great chances but failed to take either.

#3 Sergio Ramos ends season in the perfect way

Sergio Ramos scored his 11th goal of the season for Real Madrid
Sergio Ramos scored his 11th goal of the season for Real Madrid

Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos probably fancies himself as a forward trapped in a defender's body. While his expertise in keeping opposition attackers at bay is world-class, the Spanish international is no mean slouch when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net either.

The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo saw Ramos take over penalty duties at Real Madrid. The 34-year-old has consequently seen a spike in his goalscoring returns, with his total of 11 goals this season being the most he has managed in his illustrious campaign as well as the most by a La Liga defender in the 21st century.

Earlier in the month, he had overtaken Ronald Koeman as the highest-scoring defender in La Liga history, and with six goals since football returned, he has been one of the driving forces behind Real Madrid's title triumph.

Against Leganes, the former Sevilla man opened the scoring with a well-taken header, which would serve as a timely reminder of his abilities in the air, with most of his recent goals having come from the spot.

#2 Real Madrid's Karim Benzema fails to usurp Messi in the quest for Golden Boot

Coming into the final matchday, a revitalized Karim Benzema trailed Lionel Messi by just two goals in the race for the La Liga Pichichi award.

Given his form, the Frenchman was confident in himself and fancied his chances of topping the Argentine maestro on the final day of the campaign, stating as much in a pre-match interview.

Messi put further distance between him and Benzema with a brace in Barcelona's 5-0 mauling of Alaves. Despite starting from the onset of Real Madrid's fixture against Legane, the striker was unable to get on the scoresheet, confirming Messi's seventh La Liga Golden Boot.

The win means that the six-time Ballon d'Or winner goes clear of the late great Telmo Zarra as the man with the most La Liga Golden Boots in history.

#1 Leganes relegated

Leganes have been relegated from La Liga after their draw against Real Madrid
Leganes have been relegated from La Liga after their draw against Real Madrid

This season was a rocky one for Leganes as midway into the season and with the club deep into the battle to survive the drop, they lost the services of Youssef En-Nesyri and Martin Braithwaite.

Both men were Leganes' chief goal threats and the loss of the latter to Barcelona was especially jarring, considering the fact that the Catalans took advantage of a caveat in the transfer rules to sign him after the window had closed.

This expectedly affected their output in front of goal and the Peperillo soon found themselves deep down at the wrong end of the table.

However, a good run of form towards the end of the campaign saw them pick up 10 points from four matches to give themselves a fighting chance coming into the final matchday.

Even though they came up against the might of Real Madrid, Leganes gave it their all and although they came up short of the victory required, Javier Aguirre can take great pride in the heart and desire shown by his players.

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