Real Madrid lose hope of retaining La Liga title as captain Sergio Ramos receives the record 24 red card in Bilbao (Details, pics)

Real Madrid's hopes of retaining La Liga title are as far-fetched as ever after a goalless draw with Athletic Bilbao in a fixture that never really saw either side in control.

Real Madrid wasted a brilliant chance to close the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona in a torrid evening in the Basque Country. Both sides were in need of a win to steady the ship after tough starts, but Athletic will still draw more positives from the result than Zidane will.

The reigning Spanish and European champions have come nowhere near meeting the set expectations and the disappointing outcome at San Mames is the latest misfortune in a series of signs that 'Los Blancos' are far from the levels displayed last season.

A game they expected to win, Real Madrid looked lively in the first few minutes, but the fluency in their game slowly petered out as the hosts battled forward in the first half. And even when Athletic took to defending deep late in the second, Zidane's men lacked the creativity in the final third to find the back of the net.

Athletic did get an early taste of just how quickly Madrid can hurt you when Benzema struck the upright inside the first 10 minutes. Ronaldo and Isco were involved in the swift build-up which saw the French striker take the ball on his chest before lashing a half-volley off the post. Real Madrid target Kepa Arrizabalaga was left rooted to the spot.

In the first half, most of the activity came from wide areas as Madrid looked to exploit the home side's weaknesses on the flanks, but they were unable to put Ziganda's men under any real pressure. After a spell of possession for the visitors, Athletic showed their fighting spirit by testing Keylor Navas.

The Costa Rican goalkeeper was first forced into action to deny Iñaki Williams from an angle, before Aritz Aduriz came inches away from re-directing Raul Garcia's ball across the face of goal into the net. The experienced striker could not quite stretch sufficiently to get a toe on the ball.

The fixture was looking increasingly open when Cristiano Ronaldo wasted a golden chance to break the deadlock. The Portuguese ace was found in all kinds of space at the back post and, after taking one touch to bring it onto his left foot, he lashed at the ball, dragging it wide of the near post.

It was not Ronaldo's night, though he was somewhat starved for service from his teammates. After the break, he headed a couple of Marcelo crosses wide before clipping the outside of Kepa's post with a cracking volley, which came after he took the ball down on his chest, expertly watching it over his shoulder.

The hosts also enjoyed the odd chance at the other end with Keylor Navas turning away Aduriz's shot from 25 yards, but as the hour-mark approached and fatigue began to build, Real Madrid took the initiative again. Zidane's men were handed the chance to pile pressure on Athletic, who looked increasingly lethargic as Real upped the tempo.

With the clock ticking at San Mames, it appeared Madrid would finally break down the Basque side, but it was not to be. A second booking for Sergio Ramos with three minutes to go to become the highest player to have received a red card in the history of the league, it ended Madrid's hopes of clinching all three points, while also wasting a great chance to cut the gap with Barcelona down to six points.