<p>Atletico Madrid squandered a chance to cut the gap to stuttering La Liga leaders Barcelona to nine points when they were held to a 0-0 draw at fourth-placed Malaga on Sunday. <br /><br /></p>.<p>With two of the meanest defences in the Spanish top flight on display, goals were always going to be at a premium and neither side were able to seriously trouble the opposing goalkeeper in a tight game at the Rosaleda. <br /><br />Malaga captain Weligton sent a header narrowly wide with around 15 minutes left and the home side just managed to clear their lines after a scramble in the penalty area in the dying minutes but both teams appeared content to settle for a draw. <br /><br />Atletico coach Diego Simeone praised his players for another strong performance after they saw off Sevilla and clinched a place in the King's Cup final on Wednesday. <br />"After playing an extremely important match four days ago, with a lot of pressure and a significant mental effort, today the team responded with the 90 minutes we needed to remain near the top of the league," he told a news conference. <br /><br />"We just lacked the final pass to convert our play, which was very positive for the whole match, into a goal," added the Argentine, who has transformed the club since taking over midway through last season. <br /><br />The result left Barca 11 points clear of Atletico with 12 games left after they were beaten 2-1 at third-placed champions Real Madrid on Saturday. <br /><br />It was their second defeat by their arch-rivals in five days after Real dumped them out of the King's Cup 4-2 on aggregate on Tuesday and only their second reverse of the league campaign following January's loss at Real Sociedad.<br /><br />Barca have 68 points from 26 matches with Atletico on 57 and Real 55. Malaga trail on 43 points, one ahead of Valencia, who drew 2-2 at home to city rivals Levante on Saturday. <br /><br />"A draw was a fair result," Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini told a news conference. <br />"We have secured a point against a great team who are having a great season," added the Chilean. "They are second in the league, they are in the Cup final and have a lot of individual quality." <br /><br />European qualification hopefuls Real Sociedad and Real Betis played out an entertaining 3-3 draw in San Sebastian in Sunday's late kickoff. <br /></p>
<p>Atletico Madrid squandered a chance to cut the gap to stuttering La Liga leaders Barcelona to nine points when they were held to a 0-0 draw at fourth-placed Malaga on Sunday. <br /><br /></p>.<p>With two of the meanest defences in the Spanish top flight on display, goals were always going to be at a premium and neither side were able to seriously trouble the opposing goalkeeper in a tight game at the Rosaleda. <br /><br />Malaga captain Weligton sent a header narrowly wide with around 15 minutes left and the home side just managed to clear their lines after a scramble in the penalty area in the dying minutes but both teams appeared content to settle for a draw. <br /><br />Atletico coach Diego Simeone praised his players for another strong performance after they saw off Sevilla and clinched a place in the King's Cup final on Wednesday. <br />"After playing an extremely important match four days ago, with a lot of pressure and a significant mental effort, today the team responded with the 90 minutes we needed to remain near the top of the league," he told a news conference. <br /><br />"We just lacked the final pass to convert our play, which was very positive for the whole match, into a goal," added the Argentine, who has transformed the club since taking over midway through last season. <br /><br />The result left Barca 11 points clear of Atletico with 12 games left after they were beaten 2-1 at third-placed champions Real Madrid on Saturday. <br /><br />It was their second defeat by their arch-rivals in five days after Real dumped them out of the King's Cup 4-2 on aggregate on Tuesday and only their second reverse of the league campaign following January's loss at Real Sociedad.<br /><br />Barca have 68 points from 26 matches with Atletico on 57 and Real 55. Malaga trail on 43 points, one ahead of Valencia, who drew 2-2 at home to city rivals Levante on Saturday. <br /><br />"A draw was a fair result," Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini told a news conference. <br />"We have secured a point against a great team who are having a great season," added the Chilean. "They are second in the league, they are in the Cup final and have a lot of individual quality." <br /><br />European qualification hopefuls Real Sociedad and Real Betis played out an entertaining 3-3 draw in San Sebastian in Sunday's late kickoff. <br /></p>