Oh my word. What a chance for Malaga! Warning sign for Real Madrid that the visitors fancy their chances of scoring their first La Liga goal of the season right here in the Bernabeu. Pesky forward Nordin Amrabat is causing a nuisance again, collecting a rebound in the Madrid box but lacking the composure to hit the target with a low shot from 10 yards. 

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Time for a Malaga switch. Probably just to knock off a vital few seconds more than anything else. Off comes Moroccan forward Adnane Tighadouini with Juanpi replacing him in a straight swap.

Madrid patiently probe for another opening as they remain camped on the edge of the Malaga area. Dani Carvajal fizzes a low cross from the right towards the far post. Cristiano Ronaldo lies in wait...Carlos Kameni beats him to the ball. Again.

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It is like a training ground match of attack v defence now. Think I counted 19 players within 25 yards of the Malaga goal as Madrid press again...

Better intensity from Madrid - they know time is ticking down sharpish. Cristiano Ronaldo collects a pass from Isco in the inside right channel....fires into the side-netting. That's Madrid's 23rd shot of the match....

Neat link-up play between Karim Benzema and Luka Modric tees up a chance for the former Spurs midfielder. From about 15 yards out, the Croatian prods goalwards only for Carlos Kameni to easily gather.

Jese is carried off the pitch on a stretcher before hobbling down the Bernabeu with the help of several members of the Madrid medical staff. The poor lad is in tears. On comes young Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic, a big-money summer signing from Inter Milan.

Oh dear. Sad sight as Madrid forward Jese crumbles to the Bernabeu turf after shooting over the Malaga bar. Awkward landing for the young Spain international, who ruptured his knee ligaments last year. Let's hope it is not a similar injury.

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More shakes of the head from Cristiano Ronaldo mean one thing - he's come close to scoring again. This time Malaga defender Welington nips ahead of the Ballon d'Or winner to clear at the far post.

Back we go to the other end...Karim Benzema - who has scored five goals in his last four matches - tries to steer the ball past Malaga keeper Carlos Kameni into the bottom corner. Easy save though.

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The match is pinging from end-to end like a tennis match. Malaga try to catch out Madrid on the break, but teenage attacker Pablo Fornals dillies, dallies and then slips on his backside. Raphael Varane slides in - legally this time - and Madrid clear the danger.

Uh oh. Madrid have a problem. Moments after Raphael Varane is shown a yellow card, his centre-back partner Nacho cleans out Nordin Amrabat with a crude sliding tackle. That lands him a booking too. Both centre-backs walking a disciplinary tightrope. 

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There is more action in this match than there is a Sly Stallone classic. Cristiano Ronaldo is the central character once again, this time screwing a left-foot shot wide of the Malaga goal. Carlos Kameni, for once, did not have to be called into action.

Anything Carlos Kameni can do...

Real Madrid keeper Keylor Navas is called into action, acrobatically plucking Recio's perfectly-executed curling free-kick out of his top corner. Wonderful save.

The half-time break has not disrupted Carlos Kameni's one-man show. The Malaga keeper denies - yep, you've guessed it - Cristiano Ronaldo again with another splendid save. The Cameroonian drops low to his left to beat away Ronaldo's fierce volley with a strong left hand.

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Pretty even start to the early stage of this second half. Neither side made a change at half-time. Here's a quick reminder of the two sides...

Real Madrid: Navas, Varane, Nacho, Ronaldo, Kroos, Benzema, Marcelo, Carvajal, Modric, Jese, Isco. Subs: Casilla, Casemiro, Kovacic, Arbeloa, Vazquez, Cheryshev, Llorente.

Malaga: Kameni; Rosales, Angeleri, Weligton, Torres; Recio, Tissone, Fornals, Tighadouini, Juankar: Amrabat. Subs: Ochoa, Albentosa, Charles, Horta, Duda, Cop, Juanpi.    

Both sets of players return from the changing rooms, Malaga's coach Javi Gracia whispering a few more words of encouragement to his men. Madrid, decked out in their traditional all-white kit, resume proceedings.

Earlier we told you the big football news coming from Spain today - Lionel Messi faces "seven or eight weeks" out with a knee injury. I get pretty upset, almost teary, if that happen on Football Manager. So no wonder that back here on Planet Earth his real-life manager Luis Enrique is "sad".

"But we need to accept the challenge and understand that this is part of football and get through it," added the Barca coach.

"We will not change our style of play without Messi, although there are many moments in games in which Messi liberates us and finds solutions for us, so we'll have to strengthen in other areas and the team will have to step up without him."