Real Madrid’s pursuit of the LaLiga summit suffered another setback as they were forced to settle for a third consecutive draw, this time against relegation-threatened Girona.
Xabi Alonso’s men needed a 67th-minute penalty from Kylian Mbappé to escape Montilivi with a 1-1 result after Azzedine Ounahi had fired the hosts ahead just before the interval, Girona’s first goal against Madrid in over a year.
Los Blancos, who started the weekend above Barcelona, ended it trailing their rivals by a point.
Their slump now stands at one victory in their last five outings across all competitions, with their attacking edge noticeably blunted.
Madrid’s struggles in the final third were evident long before Ounahi punished them. The returning Éder Militão failed to close him down, allowing the midfielder to sweep Viktor Tsygankov’s cut-back into the far corner from the edge of the box.
Moments earlier, Ounahi had stung the palms of Andriy Lunin with a long-range effort, while Bryan Gil also came close for the hosts.
Even Mbappé, enjoying a blistering scoring run this season, needed perfection from the penalty spot to beat Paulo Gazzaniga for his 28th goal in 23 appearances.
The spot-kick came after Hugo Rincón clipped Vinícius Júnior inside the box.
Girona, who sat third from bottom with only two wins all season, had been battered 12-0 across their last four meetings with Madrid.
Early passages of play hinted at another routine night for the visitors, but they failed to make pressure count. Mbappé, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Vinícius all missed the target during a dominant but toothless first half.
Militão tested Gazzaniga with a header before Mbappé had a brilliant solo effort cancelled by VAR for handball after he appeared to control the ball with his arm while weaving through defenders.
Militão grew increasingly threatening from set pieces in the second half, twice going close with headers, yet Madrid’s finishing woes persisted as Tchouaméni and Vinícius continued to misfire.
After finally drawing level, Madrid pushed for a late winner, but Jude Bellingham nodded wide and Vinícius forced Gazzaniga into a sharp save with 11 minutes remaining, their last meaningful chance of the night.
