Real Madrid have knocked and knocked but nobody has answered the door.

Sporting actually went closest, hitting the underside of the bar.

Image source, Reuters

Not too long left until the break now, Sporting have played well in this first half - but will they be able to maintain it for 90 minutes?

Sporting have had Nacho Cases, which sounds like a place to put your Doritos, booked.

Seconds later, Real Madrid are unlucky not to have a penalty as Sergio Alvarez pulls Cristiano Ronaldo down to the ground.

Image source, Reuters

Sporting come closest to scoring as an Antonio Sanabria header rattles off the woodwork and bounces down on the line, an inch from crossing it.

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo now does have the first shot on target but his powerful effort from 25 yards is parried away by keeper Ivan Cuellar.

Neither Atletico Madrid, nor Barcelona played brilliantly this weekend. This is a chance for Real to lay down a marker.

Real Madrid have had 62% possession so far and eight shots to Sporting's one. Nobody has hit the target yet though.

Real Madrid are definitely on top and Isco, starting in place of James Rodriguez, fires another powerful shot just over from the edge of the box.

Image source, Getty Images

Now it's Isco's turn to miss with a shot, from just outside the box. He want a corner too - and again the replays show it took a deflection.

Maybe the referee has put 10 euro on there to be fewer than five corners in thw game.

Real Madrid forward Jese drills in a shot from the right which flies across the goal and goes wide. He wants a corner - and he was right to as it came off a Sporting leg, but the referee says no.

By the way there is a live text running now of LA Galaxy v New York City if MLS is your cup of Joe.

My colleague running it was thrilled to have spent hours preparing entries on Frank Lampard facing Steven Gerrard, only for Lampard to not be in the New York squad...

Oh - huge moment. Gareth Bale chases onto a long ball, steps around keeper Ivan Cuellar but he's at too much of a wide angle and he hits the side-netting.

If you've been on this page since the Barca game, you might want to refresh to get the latest score of this game at the top.  

Cristiano Ronaldo drives a free-kick into the wall. It was an ambitious effort (as they often are with him), he was 30 yards out.

Image source, AP

Not much action so far on the pitch from either side. 

Sporting Gijon are back in La Liga after a three-year absence having won promotion in dramatic fashion in June.

They trailed Girona for the final automatic promotion spot by two points going into the final day. Sporting beat champions Real Betis 3-0, with Girona conceding a last-minute equaliser in their game with Lugo that would send Gijon up.

But Sporting then had to wait for a few minutes as Girona had a goal disallowed and an assistant referee was struck with an object from the crowd causing a short delay before the game continued and finished.