Girona Hold Firm as Real Madrid Drop More Points in Montilivi Stalemate
Girona frustrated Real Madrid with a resilient display in Catalonia, holding Los Blancos to a 1–1 draw that deepens Madrid’s worrying run of dropped points in the LaLiga title race.
Real Madrid’s stuttering form continued on Sunday night as they were held to a 1–1 draw by a spirited Girona side at the Estadi Montilivi. The result marked Madrid’s third consecutive league draw, opening the door wider for rivals Barcelona in a tightening LaLiga title chase.
Madrid started brightly, carving out early chances through Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe, both of whom could have—perhaps should have—given Xabi Alonso’s men an early advantage. Girona slowly grew into the contest, and their warning signs came through Azzedine Ounahi, whose curling effort in the 27th minute grazed past the post with Thibaut Courtois beaten.
Madrid thought they had broken the deadlock in the 40th minute when Mbappe bundled the ball into the bottom corner, but VAR intervened, ruling the goal out for handball. The decision breathed new life into Girona, who struck decisively moments later.
On the stroke of halftime, Viktor Tsygankov slipped the ball to Ounahi, and the Moroccan midfielder curled a sensational 18-yard strike into the top-right corner. It was a goal of pure quality and lifted the stadium into full voice as Girona headed into the break 1–0 up.
Madrid pushed hard after the restart, dominating territory and possession while Vinicius Junior repeatedly threatened—but without the clinical edge. The Brazilian saw one goal ruled out for offside before winning a penalty in the 65th minute, drawing a foul from Hugo Rincon.
Mbappe stepped up with ice-cold composure, drilling the spot-kick into the bottom-left corner to make it 1–1 in the 67th minute for his 14th league goal of the season.
The closing stages were frantic. Courtois bailed Madrid out with a superb save on Roca, while Vinicius Junior spurned multiple chances as frustration mounted. Deep into stoppage time, Jude Bellingham teed up Mbappe inside the box, but the Frenchman bent his effort agonisingly wide of the far post Madrid’s final chance to steal a much-needed win.
By the finish, Madrid had generated 25 shots but only found the net from the penalty spot, a sign of growing inefficiency in front of goal. Girona, meanwhile, were clinical when it mattered most and defended with grit to earn a valuable point in their battle for survival.
The draw keeps Real Madrid second in LaLiga, one point behind leaders Barcelona, while Girona remain 18th but can take plenty of confidence from the performance.
Madrid now turn to a Copa del Rey trip to Athletic Bilbao before hosting Celta Vigo on December 7, while Girona prepare for a Wednesday cup tie against Ourense.
