MADRID — Álvaro Arbeloa voiced his belief that Real Madrid should have been awarded a crucial penalty in their 1-1 draw against Girona. This result led to fans expressing their frustration at the Bernabéu, further diminishing the team’s aspirations to compete for the LaLiga title.
Midfielder Federico Valverde opened the scoring with a long-range shot in the 51st minute, but Thomas Lemar equalized for Girona just 11 minutes later with a spectacular strike.
The most contentious moment came in the 87th minute when Kylian Mbappé appeared to be struck in the face by defender Vitor Reis
Real Madrid now sits six points behind leaders Barcelona, who have played one fewer game and are set to face Espanyol on Saturday. “For me, it’s a penalty by a long shot,” Arbeloa stated during his post-match press conference. “I don’t understand it, nor do I think anyone else does… You know my views about referees, and the facts support that.” 2:02 Are Real Madrid officially out of the LaLiga title race? The ‘FC TV’ crew reacts to Real Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Girona in LaLiga. “This is a very clear situation for me. We’ve experienced many refereeing decisions like this one, including last week against Mallorca. It’s always the same problem.” Real Madrid is now winless in their last three matches, having previously lost 2-1 to Mallorca and then to Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal. “To win, we need to give 200%. We can’t settle for 90%, or at least not all the time,” Arbeloa emphasized. “To secure a win against teams we’re favored over, we have to give everything; otherwise, we risk defeats like this one.” “Until the title is out of reach, we will continue to fight,” he added. Arbeloa expressed confidence in the abilities of Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, denying concerns over their scoring form, while praising Jude Bellingham, who returned to the starting lineup after recovery from injury. “I have no worries about players of the caliber that Mbappé and Vinícius possess. They’re among the top four or five players in the world… We need to improve collectively, especially against teams that defend deeply.” “Bellingham looked sharp, agile, and confident. It’s understandable that he might be tired after such a long absence. This was his first start, but it was good for him to regain his rhythm.” Madrid will head to Munich next week to face Bayern in the second leg of their quarterfinal clash on Wednesday.