Real Madrid have lost the top spot in the La Liga standings after three consecutive draws. Following draws against Elche and Rayo Vallecano, the Madrid club once again failed to win—this time away against relegation-zone side Girona. On Sunday night, Xabi Alonso’s men were held to a 1–1 draw at Girona, forcing them to share the points.
With this result, Barcelona have moved to the top of the league table with 34 points from 14 matches, while Real Madrid have dropped to second with 33 points.
Despite entering the match with confidence from their Champions League win over Olympiacos, Real Madrid looked lacklustre from the start against Girona. Although they completely dominated possession (60%) and attack (25 shots) at the opponent’s ground, they suffered from poor finishing. Out of Real’s 25 attempts, only four were on target. Girona, meanwhile, hit the target with four of their ten attempts.
In the 39th minute of the first half, Kylian Mbappé found the net, but the referee disallowed the goal after checking VAR for handball. Girona then took the lead in the final moments of the half (45'), thanks to a brilliant strike from Ounahi.
After halftime, coach Alonso substituted Arda Güler for Eduardo Camavinga in an attempt to increase attacking intensity. However, frustration grew when Eder Militão’s header in the 54th minute and Vinícius Júnior’s goal in the 61st minute were both ruled out for offside. Finally, in the 67th minute, Real Madrid earned a penalty after Vinícius was fouled inside the box. Mbappé converted from the spot to make it 1–1.
Still, Real could easily have lost the match if Thibaut Courtois had not saved a one-on-one effort from Girona’s Vladyslav Vanat in the 57th minute.
Despite the team’s disappointing run, Kylian Mbappé remains in extraordinary form. He took five shots in the match and scored Real’s only goal. It was his 14th league goal of the season and his 24th in 22 matches across all competitions. More than half (56%) of the club’s total goals this season have come from the French star.
After the game, Mbappé wrote on Instagram: “We didn’t get the result we wanted. But the league is still open, and there’s a long way to go. We need to change our rhythm of play and show who we are as a team.”
Real Madrid now sit second in the table with 33 points from 14 matches (10 wins, 3 draws). Meanwhile, defending champions Barcelona lead the table with 34 points from the same number of matches. Girona are in 18th place with 12 points.