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Real Madrid and Barcelona draw as Europe takes priority Barcelona and Real Madrid both drew away against sides battling relegation in La Liga on Saturday as the top two focused their attentions on next week's Champions League quarter-finals
A weakened Barca were held to a 2-2 draw at lowly Celta Vigo when Borja Oubina headed an 88th-minute equaliser that left the leaders on 75 points with nine games left to play. Lionel Messi set up Barca's first, an equaliser for Cristian Tello, and bagged Barca's second to pass another scoring milestone by netting in his 19th consecutive league match. The World Player of the Year took his tally for the season to 43 goals to complete a run of scoring against every team in La Liga consecutively. Champions Real also came from behind thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo as they drew 1-1 at Real Zaragoza. Jose Mourinho's side are on 62 points, 13 adrift of their rivals. Earlier, Chile midfielder Pedro Morales scored one and set up two more as Malaga ran out 3-1 winners at Rayo Vallecano to climb to fifth. Malaga moved on to 47 points, the same as fourth-placed Real Sociedad, who visit Espanyol on Sunday. Rayo are ninth with 41 points. Barcelona clearly had their minds on Tuesday's first-leg trip to play Paris St Germain as they fielded a side shorn of a number of regulars. Carles Puyol, Jordi Alba and Xavi were among the injured absentees, while Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and David Villa were on the bench, and they put in a disjointed first-half performance. Celta were without suspended top scorer Iago Aspas but looked dangerous from set pieces and on the break, and took the lead when Nacho Insa slid in to steer Park Chu-young's pass inside the near post in the 38th minute. Barca reacted swiftly with Javi Varas pushing a Messi free kick around the post, but he could do little in the 43rd when the Argentine's ball over the top sent Tello scampering free and he fired in off the post. The visitors dominated the second period, when Iniesta and Villa were thrown into the fray, and Tello, a constant threat down the left, crossed low into the area for Messi to fire first time into the corner. Oubina was left unmarked at the back post to head the equaliser, lifting Celta to 18th place with 24 points, three behind Zaragoza in 17th. Ronaldo rescue Like Barca, Real also rested key players in Zaragoza with their first leg at home to Galatasaray coming up on Wednesday. They were caught napping when Zaragoza's Rodri burst through the middle on the counter and fired the hosts in front after only six minutes. Real struggled to react until Ronaldo won a challenge on the edge of the area and finally beat Roberto at his near post just before the break for his 28th league goal. Mourinho made a triple substitution, throwing Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria into the game on the hour, and they dominated the clsoing stages. Diego Lopez, preferred instead of the fit-again Iker Casillas, blocked a Helder Postiga header on the line, but although Real were in the ascendancy they could not make their dominance count. Malaga ended a run of four games without a win in La Liga and boosted morale ahead of the Champions League debutants' return to European action when Borussia Dortmund visit on Wednesday. At Rayo, they took the lead when Weligton headed in unmarked from a Morales free kick after 22 minutes only to be pegged back when goalkeeper Willy Caballero was harshly ruled to have tripped Tito in the area. Rayo's Piti scored from the spot. Malaga restored their advantage in the 55th when Baptista leapt to meet a Morales corner and power a header inside the far post for his first goal of the season, and Morales crowned his performance with a rasping 25-metre drive near the end. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports)
