Gerard Moreno helps Espanyol end Cristiano Ronaldo-less Real Madrid's winning streak

Madrid: Real Madrid couldn't overcome the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and other regular starters on Tuesday, losing 1-0 to Espanyol in the Spanish league to see its five-game winning streak come to an end.

Gerard Moreno scored three minutes into injury time to give Espanyol the victory against the defending champions. The result left Madrid in danger of losing third place to Valencia, which is two points behind going into its match at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.

Madrid stayed seven points behind second-place Atletico and 14 points behind leader Barcelona. Atletico hosts Leganes on Wednesday and Barcelona visits Las Palmas on Thursday.

Ronaldo, who scored eight goals in his last four games, was rested by coach Zinedine Zidane to make sure he is fully fit for the second leg against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League next week. The European champions won the first match 3-1 at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Madrid hosts Getafe in the Spanish league on Saturday in its final game before the match in Paris.

Toni Kroos, Marcelo and Luka Modric also did not play as they try to recover from injuries for next week's game against PSG. Casemiro was left out because of a stomach problem, while Karim Benzema started on the bench. Madrid had outscored opponents 20-7 in its five-game winning streak.

Espanyol, 13th in the league standings, hadn't won in seven matches, since it ended Barcelona's 29-match unbeaten streak in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals in January. It's last league win came eight rounds ago, at Levante. It had already beaten Atletico 1-0 at home and drawn Barcelona 1-1 in the league.

Moreno, who had a goal disallowed for offside in the first half, scored the winner with a shot from near the penalty spot after a well-placed cross by Sergio Garcia following a late breakaway.