Spanish La Liga
Real Madrid 1 – 1 Girona FT
Real made 22 attempts, with nine on target, but managed to score just once [Getty Images]
Real Madrid’s inconsistent performance continued as their slim chances of claiming the La Liga title took another hit with a disappointing draw against Girona.
A win would have narrowed the gap to Barcelona to just four points before they face their city rivals Espanyol on Saturday.
Advertisement
If Hansi Flick’s team secures a win, they will stretch their lead to nine points, while Real remained winless in their last three matches across all competitions.
Federico Valverde gave Los Blancos the lead six minutes into the second half at the Bernabeu with a low shot from the edge of the box that slipped past goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.
However, Thomas Lemar equalized just 11 minutes later, cutting in from the right and firing past Andriy Lunin, leaving the hosts unable to respond, despite Kylian Mbappe’s penalty appeal being turned down.
This draw comes on the heels of a surprising league loss to Mallorca last week, as well as a 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Advertisement
Head coach Alvaro Arbeloa’s choice to field a weakened team against Mallorca in favor of the European clash backfired, so he opted for a full-strength side against 12th-placed Girona.
Nonetheless, none of Real’s star players, including Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., and Jude Bellingham, could muster any significant impact in a lackluster first half.
The match began to ignite after the intermission, but Girona’s equalizer only served to further rattle the hosts, leading to boos at the final whistle as they failed to find a winner.
With seven games remaining, Barcelona is well-positioned to defend their title as Real struggles both domestically and in Europe.
Advertisement
The Real Madrid squad will need to regroup as they head to Germany for the return leg against Bayern on Wednesday in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The recent results have increased the pressure on Arbeloa, who took over for Xabi Alonso in January and has since witnessed three defeats and a shaky start to the European campaign.