Real Madrid Drop Points at Girona in Third Consecutive La Liga Draw
Real Madrid managed only a third successive La Liga draw, finishing 1-1 against Girona on Sunday, which left Barcelona holding onto the top spot.
The home side took an unexpected lead just before the break through Azzedine Ounahi, but Kylian Mbappe salvaged a point for Madrid via a penalty kick.
Following Barcelona's victory over Alaves on Saturday that propelled them to the summit, Madrid required a win at Girona to regain the lead, yet they remain in second place, one point adrift of the title holders.
This result heightens the scrutiny on Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, amid recent speculation about his position at the club.
"We remain in contention, everything is tightly contested, it's a lengthy campaign, and we must press on," Alonso commented to the media.
"I appreciated the players' response. It fell short of overturning the score, but we came near, and we need to sustain our cohesion, maintain healthy self-assessment, and strive for triumphs on the road during this demanding schedule of away fixtures."
Madrid will head to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday for their fourth league game in a row away from home, rescheduled due to their involvement in the Spanish Super Cup back in January.
"The standings will be fiercely battled, with plenty of shifts. We're aiming for three points, but securing a victory in Bilbao would be timely," Alonso remarked.
The Spanish manager reintegrated defenders Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger post-injury, while keeping Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior up front with Kylian Mbappe, the latter having netted four times against Olympiacos in the Champions League earlier in the week.
Early in the match, Mbappe and Arda Guler missed attempts for Madrid in a fiercely competitive yet untidy encounter, before an enthusiastic local audience.
A wayward pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold let Girona's Vladyslav Vanat through, though his intended pass was cut out when shooting might have been preferable.
Unexpected Advantage
Girona's keeper Paulo Gazzaniga pulled off an excellent stop to deny Eder Militao's header, then Mbappe believed he had put Madrid in front.
That said, the French star's effort, nodded in from near range, got ruled out after the ball struck his arm prior to crossing the line.
Shortly after, Moroccan midfielder Ounahi put Girona ahead, blasting the ball into the net from the edge of the box to shock the high-profile opponents.
The Catalan underdogs, sitting 18th, have defeated Real Madrid twice at Montilivi since entering the elite division in 2017, and it briefly seemed they might repeat the feat.
Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois produced a remarkable stop to deflect Vanat's angled shot before the visitors mounted a comeback.
After seeing a goal chalked off for offside, Vinicius was brought down awkwardly in the penalty area by Hugo Rincon.
Mbappe powered the spot-kick into the bottom left corner, beating Gazzaniga's stretch, marking his 14th league strike this season.
Vinicius bent a shot just over the bar, and Mbappe's effort in added time skimmed the post as Madrid failed to clinch all three points.
"Truthfully, we aimed for the full haul, and the team's efforts were evident," Girona's Gazzaniga said to Movistar.
"We created superior opportunities, but on reflection, earning a draw versus such rivals is valuable. Still, at present, we're somewhat frustrated since three points were within reach."