Attacking midfielder Raul Garcia's late equalizer helped reigning Spanish champions Atletico Madrid smuggle away a draw against local rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup’s first leg on Tuesday night.
An 88th minute corner was flicked into the back of the net by Garcia, leaving the door open for Atletico to seal a second-leg victory despite a weak performance at Real Madrid’s home ground, the Santiago Bernabeu.
Copa del Rey champions Real Madrid used their one-sided command of possession to dictate the game's tempo but they could not break the deadlock until James Rodriguez, their newly-signed Colombian World Cup star, came on as a second-half substitute for the injured Cristiano Ronaldo.
Rodriguez took advantage of a penalty area scramble to poke the ball into the net for the game's first goal on 81 minutes.
Atletico will be hopeful of snatching a victory in the second-leg game played at their Vicente Calderon home ground on Friday night.
Atletico's Turkish midfielder Arda Turan is missing both legs of the Super Cup due to a suspension from last season.
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