Real Madrid Drop Points In 1-1 Draw With Girona, Risk Falling Nine Points Behind Barcelona
Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Girona, extending their winless run and giving Barcelona chance to move nine points clear in LaLiga.
Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Girona, extending their winless run and giving Barcelona chance to move nine points clear in LaLiga.
Real Madrid’s faltering form continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Girona at the Santiago Bernabéu, a result that could see Barcelona extend their lead at the top of La Liga to nine points if they win their upcoming derby clash against Espanyol.
Federico Valverde gave the hosts the lead shortly after half-time, firing a low effort from the edge of the box that slipped past goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. However, Girona responded just 11 minutes later through Thomas Lemar, who cut in from the right before unleashing a powerful strike beyond Andriy Lunin.
Despite fielding a full-strength lineup, Real Madrid failed to find a winner, with Kylian Mbappé notably seeing a penalty appeal turned down. Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham also struggled to influence the game in a subdued attacking display.
The result extends Real Madrid’s winless run to three matches in all competitions and follows a shock league defeat to Mallorca and a 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Manager Álvaro Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso in January, had previously rotated his squad against Mallorca in preparation for European competition, a decision that backfired. Although he reverted to a stronger lineup against 12th-placed Girona, his side again failed to deliver.
With seven matches remaining, Barcelona are firmly in control of the title race, while Real Madrid must quickly regroup ahead of their decisive Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich in Germany.
The recent run of poor results has intensified scrutiny on Arbeloa, whose tenure has already seen three defeats and an unconvincing European campaign, raising questions about his ability to steady the club at a critical stage of the season.
