Real Madrid's title hopes suffer another blow
Real Madrid 1 - 1 Girona
Real Madrid’s faltering run continued as their already fragile La Liga title hopes suffered another setback in a frustrating draw
Author | Jack L
Stadium | Bernabéu
Victory would have trimmed Barcelona’s lead at the summit to four points before Saturday’s derby against Espanyol. Instead, Hansi Flick’s side could move nine points clear with a win, as Madrid’s winless sequence stretched to three matches in all competitions.
This match also formed part of La Liga's retro weekend where sides are wearing kits from their past.
What happened on the night?
Federico Valverde gave the hosts the lead six minutes into the second half at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, his low effort from the edge of the area slipping beyond Paulo Gazzaniga.
The advantage lasted only 11 minutes. Thomas Lemar surged in from the right and drove past Andriy Lunin to restore parity, and Madrid could not summon a response. Kylian Mbappé saw a penalty appeal waved away as frustration grew.
A bad run of form for Real Madrid
The result follows last week’s shock defeat by Mallorca and a 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Álvaro Arbeloa, who rotated heavily for the Mallorca defeat with one eye on Europe, reverted to a full-strength side against mid-table Girona. Yet even with Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham on the pitch, Madrid laboured through a subdued first half.
There was greater urgency after the interval, but Girona’s equaliser unsettled the hosts once more, and boos rang out at full time as another opportunity slipped away.
With seven rounds remaining, Barcelona hold firm control of the title race while Madrid’s form continues to waver domestically and in Europe. Attention now turns to Wednesday’s return leg in Germany against Bayern.
Recent results have only intensified the scrutiny on Arbeloa, appointed in January to succeed Xabi Alonso, with a series of defeats and an unconvincing European campaign raising fresh questions about Madrid’s direction.
