Madrid drops more points in draw with Girona
Real Madrid had to settle for a 1-1 draw against mid-table Girona in LaLiga, extending the host's winless run to three games in all competitions and giving league leader Barcelona the chance to stretch its advantage at the top of the table.
Federico Valverde put Madrid ahead six minutes after half-time with a low strike from the edge of the area that slipped through goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga's grasp.
Girona levelled in the 62nd minute when Thomas Lemar cut in from the right and drove the ball home from the edge of the box.
Madrid began the night under pressure, having slipped to a loss at Mallorca last weekend to trail Barca by seven points.
Coach Alvaro Arbeloa opted for a full strength side despite the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg at Bayern Munich looming in midweek, in which his side must overturn a 2-1 deficit suffered at Santiago Bernabeu.
Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior led the line, with Jude Bellingham in midfield, as Madrid monopolised possession.
Yet for all its territorial dominance, clear chances proved scarce in a tepid first half short on tempo and inspiration.
Girona was content to sit deep and spring forward when possible. It came closest before the break when Azzedine Ounahi unleashed a fierce effort from inside the box, only for goalkeeper Andriy Lunin to produce a sharp reflex save.
The contest finally flickered into life after half-time.
Valverde broke the deadlock in the 51st minute with a low strike from the edge of the area that should have posed little threat but Girona keeper Paulo Gazzaniga allowed the ball to squirm through his arms as he dropped to try to smother it.
Madrid's relief was short-lived, however.
In the 62nd minute Lemar surged in from the right and rifled a superb shot from the edge of the box that flew just inside the right post beyond Lunin's despairing dive to level the score.
Madrid pushed for a winner but urgency curdled into anxiety. Attacks were hurried, passes rushed and composure lacking.
Girona held its shape with discipline to frustrate the crowd, which booed the home players with the sensation that its team's LaLiga hopes are dissipating.
The final whistle was greeted with unease around the Bernabeu, as Madrid's stuttering form leaves the title race tilting ever more firmly towards its old rival Barca.
Barca has 76 points, six ahead of second-placed madrid, which has now played a game more.
The Catalan side visits Espanyol on Sunday (AEST) and can move nine clear if it wins, with seven matches left of the season.
Arbeloa criticised officials once again after the game and could not look past an incident that involved Mbappe in the 88th minute, claiming that the foul on the Frenchman was an obvious one to spot in real time.
"It's a penalty here and on the moon," Arbeloa said. "And it’s just one more. Another one.
"It's what we have, it's what it is. Neither I nor anyone else understands it. VAR intervenes when it's convenient, and when it's not, it doesn’t.
"I already said it yesterday, and you know my opinion. These events confirm it. It's a clear foul. Kylian was called for a foul in the first half that was even less.
"We've had many problems with referees. With this one, in Mallorca... It's the same old story."
Madrid has also conceded at least one goal in its past eight LaLiga matches, its worst such run since another eight-game streak under Zinedine Zidane in September 2019.
However, it was concerns at the other end that frustrated the Madrid fans, most notably Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, who were unable to break down Girona's stern defence.
Arbeloa, however, leapt to the defence of his two players, saying: "I can't worry about the two players with the stats they have.
"They're among the top four or five in the world. We need to improve many things collectively, because we struggle against teams that wait for us.
"We continue to struggle, and it has more to do with our collective performance than individual performance. Let's hope things go better on Wednesday [Thursday AEST]."
