Real Madrid’s title hopes dented by Girona draw

Real Madrid saw their La Liga title ambitions suffer another setback after being held to a 1-1 draw by Girona FC here at the Santiago Bernabeu on Friday.

The result leaves Madrid’s hopes hanging by a thread, as they could fall nine points behind FC Barcelona with just seven matches remaining, should their rivals defeat Espanyol on Saturday.

It caps a disappointing week for the Spanish giants, who previously lost to Mallorca in the league and suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

The run marks their second three-match winless streak of the season.

Madrid took the lead early in the second half when Federico Valverde struck from distance, with Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga failing to deal with the effort in the 51st minute.

However, Girona responded swiftly as Thomas Lemar levelled the score with a well-taken strike just 11 minutes later, leaving goalkeeper Andriy Lunin with little chance.

Despite dominating large spells, Madrid were unable to find a decisive goal. Kylian Mbappe and Vinícius Junior both came close, while Jude Bellingham missed key opportunities.

A late penalty appeal involving Mbappé was waved away, summing up a frustrating evening for the hosts, whose title challenge now appears increasingly uncertain.

It is pertinent to mention that Barca have 76 points, six ahead of second-placed Real, who have now played a game more.

Real pressed for a winner but lacked composure, while Girona defended in numbers to secure a point.