Thomas Lemar struck the decisive equaliser as Girona, sitting 12th in LaLiga, held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw for the second time this season, dealing another blow to the hosts’ fading title ambitions.
Wearing a special kit inspired by the 1991/92 season as part of LaLiga’s retro-themed weekend, Girona began brightly at the Santiago Bernabéu. Azzedine Ounahi tested Andriy Lunin early on, forcing a sharp save at the near post inside the opening quarter of an hour.
Real Madrid, who did not take part in the nostalgia-themed celebrations, gradually grew into the game and created several openings before the half-hour mark.
Jude Bellingham, making his first start since January, stretched but could only steer an effort wide, while Federico Valverde also went close when his curling strike was pushed away by Paulo Gazzaniga.
The breakthrough arrived early in the second half when Valverde tried his luck from distance again.
This time, Gazzaniga misjudged the swerving effort, and the ball slipped past him into the net to give Madrid the lead.
However, Girona responded just past the hour mark. Lemar was afforded too much space on the edge of the area and made no mistake, driving a low effort through Eduardo Camavinga’s legs and beyond Lunin to restore parity.
Buoyed by the equaliser, Girona enjoyed a strong spell and began to unsettle the home crowd, with every visiting attack met by growing frustration inside the stadium as Madrid’s title hopes hung in the balance.
Late on, Kylian Mbappé came closest to a winner, but his near-post attempt was comfortably saved by Gazzaniga. Madrid also had a penalty appeal waved away in the closing stages.
Despite late pressure, Carlo Ancelotti’s side could not find a breakthrough, extending their recent run after defeats to Mallorca and Bayern Munich with another disappointing result.
The draw leaves their title challenge under serious threat, with Barcelona now able to stretch their lead at the top to nine points.
