Soccer-Ramos sent off again as Real draw blank at Athletic

Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid - San Mames, Bilbao, Spain - December 2, 2017 Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo REUTERS/Vincent West

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Real Madrid missed the chance to gain ground on La Liga leaders Barcelona as they drew 0-0 at struggling Athletic Bilbao on Saturday despite hitting the woodwork twice, while their captain Sergio Ramos was sent off for the 24th time in his career.

Barcelona's 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo offered Real the chance to cut their deficit with the Catalans to six points. They nearly got off to the ideal start against Athletic when Karim Benzema chested down an Isco cross, but the Frenchman fired against the post.