Real Madrid Cede Top Spot After Third Consecutive Draw at Girona

Real Madrid’s LaLiga title defence hit another stumbling block on Sunday as they were held to a frustration-filled 1-1 draw by Girona at the Estadi Montilivi. The stalemate extends Madrid’s winless run in the domestic league to three matches, a dip in form that has seen them surrender the league leadership to arch-rivals Barcelona.

Kylian Mbappé rescued a point with a second-half penalty, cancelling out Azzedine Ounahi’s stunning opener, but the result was insufficient to keep Los Blancos at the summit.

The draw leaves Real Madrid in second place on 33 points, one point adrift of new leaders Barcelona. The slip-up has congested the top of the table significantly; following Madrid’s previous draws against Rayo Vallecano and Elche, the gap between the top four teams has narrowed to just three points. Villarreal sit third on 32 points, with Atlético Madrid close behind in fourth on 31.

Despite dominating possession and territory for large swathes of the first half, the visitors struggled to find a clinical edge against a compact Girona defence. Home goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga was instrumental early on, producing sharp saves to deny headers and strikes from Eder Militao and Vinicius Jr.

The match ignited just before halftime amidst controversy. Real Madrid believed they had taken the lead through Mbappé, only for the goal to be disallowed following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review which adjudged there was a handball in the build-up.

While Madrid were still reeling from the decision, Girona struck. Two minutes after the disallowed goal, Viktor Tsygankov spearheaded a rapid counter-attack down the right channel. The Ukrainian winger delivered a pinpoint low cross to Ounahi, who unleashed a thunderous strike from the edge of the box into the top corner, leaving Thibaut Courtois with no chance.

Courtois Heroics and Mbappe’s Response

Real Madrid emerged from the interval with greater urgency but remained vulnerable on the break. They were indebted to Courtois in the 56th minute when Ivan Martin slipped Vladyslav Vanat through on goal. The Belgian goalkeeper produced a world-class, one-handed reflex save to deny Vanat in a one-on-one situation that would have doubled Girona’s lead.

That save proved pivotal as Madrid found their equaliser 11 minutes later. A trademark mazy run from Vinicius Jr. forced a foul inside the box, resulting in a penalty. Mbappé assumed responsibility, calmly slotting the ball into the bottom-left corner, just beyond Gazzaniga’s reach, to make it 1-1.

Both sides pushed for a winner in a chaotic final 20 minutes. Gazzaniga continued his fine form with a string of saves to thwart Vinicius and Mbappé, while Courtois was called upon again to stop substitute Joel Roca on the counter.

Tensions flared in the 80th minute when Real Madrid saw furious appeals for a second penalty waved away after Rodrygo appeared to be tripped in the box by Roca. The referee allowed play to continue, much to the dismay of the visiting bench.

Mbappé had a golden opportunity to snatch all three points deep into stoppage time, but the French superstar curled his effort inches wide of the post, encapsulating a wasteful and frustrating afternoon for the reigning champions.