Marcelo saves Real Madrid from worst-ever scoring run in Levante reverse

Real Madrid narrowly avoided making unwanted history as Marcelo broke what was almost the longest goalless streak in the club's history.

As the clock ticked to the 56th minute of their encounter against Levante in La Liga, they had gone 465 minutes without finding the net.

Marcelo did send a right-footed shot into the net quarter of an hour later, ending a 480-minute drought for the capital club.

It was initially believed that Madrid had broken their own record for going goalless, before it was confirmed that in one of the games in their worst-ever run had gone to extra time, adding 30 extra minutes onto the presumed tally of 465 minutes, almost eight hours of play.

The club, then, will not go down as the most incompetent finishers in Madrid history - but it is scant consolation as they once more tasted defeated in a 2-1 reverse.

Marco Asensio was the last player to find the net for Los Blancos, when he scored four minutes before half-time in a 1-0 home victory over Espanyol on September 20. 

Subsequently, they have suffered a 3-0 loss to Sevilla in La Liga, were held scoreless by Atletico Madrid in their derby and were stunningly defeated 1-0 by Alaves in the Primera Division immediately before the international break. Additionally, they were the victims of a shock 1-0 defeat to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.

The pressure continues to mount on head coach Julen Lopetegui, whose side slumped to a 2-0 deficit at home against Levante, despite enjoying the majority of the pressure in the game. As well as striking the woodwork, they also saw a goal ruled out following a VAR decision.

His side actually started the season in strong form going forward but since the first international break of the campaign, their offensive effectiveness has ground to a halt.

Prior to the September recess, they had scored 12 goals in four competitive fixtures, but subsequently they have mustered only five in seven games, three of which came at once against Roma in Europe.

Inevitably, scrutiny has fallen upon the club's transfer policy, which saw them offload five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus in a €100m (£88m/€115m) deal.

In the nine years Ronaldo spent at the Bernabeu, he scored 450 goals in only 438 appearances, including 44 in 44 games last season, suggesting that even at 33, he was losing none of his potency.

But they did not replace the Portuguese superstar in a like-for-like manner, instead opting to sign Mariano Diaz from Lyon, having sold the striker to the Ligue 1 outfit only 12 months earlier.

Their offensive troubles have led to increased speculation that they are ready to launch a huge bid for a world-renowned player next summer, with Paris Saint-Germain ace Neymar and Chelsea's Eden Hazard two of the targets that they are most readily associated with.