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Real Madrid and Osasuna had to settle for a share of the spoils in a goalless draw at El Sadar.
The visitors underwent great stress to honour this fixture, having spent over three hours sitting at the airport prior to departure. Their flight was the only one that left the Spanish capital on Friday owing to bad weather.
Zinedine Zidane made two changes from his side that dispatched Celta Vigo last weekend. Eden Hazard started in a front three at the expense of Lucas Vazquez, who dropped back into right-back, while captain Sergio Ramos came in for Nacho Fernandez.
In what was a first half of few chances, a clearance by Raphael Varane in his own half almost caught Sergio Herrera out, while Oier Olazabal forced Thibaut Courtois into a save with a near-post header.
Real Madrid upped the ante in the second half but failed to convert their dominance into possession. They did put the ball into the back of the net twice through Karim Benzema and Ramos, only for the offside flag to be rightly raised on both occasions.
Osasuna ended the game on the front foot and fashioned two late chances but were let down by poor decision-making in the final third.
Up next for the hosts will be a rescheduled league clash with Granada on Tuesday, while Real Madrid will dispute the Spanish Super Cup semi-final with Athletic Bilbao on Thursday.
Here are five talking points from the Matchday 18 fixture at El Sadar.
#5 Indifferent form continues for Real Madrid
Real Madrid posted a run of six consecutive wins in all competitions to get them back into the title race and secure top spot in their Champions League group in December.
The year, however, concluded on a poor note for Los Blancos, as they ended 2020 with a disappointing 1-1 draw away to Elche at the Estadio Manuel Valero.
A routine victory over Celta Vigo last weekend got them back on track but this latest setback has put a serious dent in their quest to retain the league title.
Real Madrid still sit one point behind Atletico Madrid, while arch-rivals Barcelona are just four points behind.
Although the poor weather and travel conditions played a role in this stalemate, it does not excuse what was a disappointing performance from Zidane's men.
Real Madrid failed to truly test Herrera in the Osasuna goal, with a first-half shot from Marco Asensio the only time he was called into action.
The extreme weather conditions mean that the Spanish champions are not guaranteed of a return flight to the capital on Sunday. However, Zidane will be hoping his team can express themselves properly in their next fixture on Thursday.
#4 Advantage to Atletico Madrid
As already indicated, Atletico Madrid could not dispute their Matchday 18 fixture with Athletic Bilbao owing to bad weather. A win for Real Madrid would have seen Los Blancos usurp their city rivals to the summit of the table.
This would have compounded a disappointing week for Los Colchoneros that saw them fall to a shock 1-0 defeat away to Cornelia in the second round of the Copa del Rey.
However, Real Madrid's failure to get the job done means that Diego Simeone's men remain in the top spot despite not kicking a ball and with three games in hand.
#3 Osasuna pick up unlikely point against Real Madrid
Osasuna came into the clash with Real Madrid on a run of three consecutive draws in La Liga.
Their poor start to the campaign had seen them win just three of their opening 17 games, placing them at the foot of the table heading into this game week.
Given their poor form as well as the difference in quality between them and the defending champions, few would have given them any chance of picking something from this game.
However, a combination of dogged defending and poor play from their opponents ensured that Osasuna held Real Madrid to a goalless draw.
This makes it four draws in a row for Jagoba Arrasate's men. Even though they failed to get the win needed to escape the relegation zone, a point against Real Madrid could potentially give Osasuna the impetus to get positive results in the coming weeks.
#2 Atrocious weather conditions contribute to poor state of play
Spain has been ravaged by heavy snow in the last week, leading to the cancellation of the clash between Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao. There were also serious doubts that this fixture in Pamplona would go on.
However, the grounds crew at Osasuna did an excellent job to get the field in a playable condition. Despite mild frost at kick-off, the game went ahead as scheduled.
This had an impact on the game, as neither side gained a foothold, with large swathes of snow on several areas of the field affecting the general flow of the game.
The first half was one to forget. Although the tempo was upped considerably in the second half, there were not too many moments of action, with both goalkeepers relative spectators across 90 minutes.
Real Madrid's difficulty in honoring this clash definitely played a part, with signs of fatigue and tiredness creeping in towards the end of the game for the visitors.
Just three shots on target were recorded across the whole match, which was indicative of the poor conditions that the players had to play in.
#1 Eden Hazard's poor Real Madrid run continues
Eden Hazard's transfer to Real Madrid was over a decade in the making. Having finally completed his dream move to the Bernabeu last summer, the stage was seemingly set for the Belgium international to showcase his ability.
It has, however, not gone according to plan in the Spanish capital. A combination of recurring injury problems, coupled with a lack of match fitness, has reduced Hazard to a bit-part role for Los Blancos.
The 30-year-old recently returned from a muscle injury. Having been slowly reintegrated back into the team, Zidane handed him his first start since 21 November against Osasuna.
It was, however, a game to forget for the former Chelsea man, as he was perpetually on the peripheries for most of the game, while Marco Asensio and Benzema tried to take matters in their own hands.
Hazard failed to register a single shot or make a key pass before his substitution by Zidane in the 75th minute.
Granted, this was not the best of conditions to play in. However, having waited for over two months for a Real Madrid start, Eden Hazard was expected to make more of an impact.
