The Frenchman was left with an easy finish from James' pass after Cejudo had sent the hosts into the lead, but the draw sends Real further from the title race Karim Benzema proved Real Madrid's hero as he swooped to earn the Blancos a point away to Real Betis, in a 1-1 draw that preserves Zinedine Zidane's unbeaten record.

The French coach got a taste of what La Liga has in store after two simple victories, when Alvaro Cejudo opened the scoring with a sublime strike from outside the area.

Madrid subsequently bombarded the Andalucian goal but Benzema's equaliser was all the joy they had in front of the net as they fall four points behind leaders Barcelona, having played one more game.