Girona 1-1 Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappe’s 14th La Liga goal of the season was not enough to give Real Madrid all 3 points and stop it from being the third La Liga game in a row where they’ve dropped points as they drew against Girona at Montilivi yesterday. The Catalonian side had taken the lead on the stroke of half time through a wonderful strike from Moroccan international, Azzedine Ounahi and although Madrid huffed and puffed, they were unable to get the winner after yet another lacklustre performance from Xabi Alonso’s men.

Los Blancos lined up in a 4231 setup with Kylian Mbappe up top, Vinicius on the left, Jude Bellingham in attacking midfield, with Arda Guler and Fede Valverde both alternating between central midfield and the right flank. Girona lined up in a more straightforward 433 with Vladyslav Vanat up top, flanked by Victor Tsygankov and Bryan Gil to his right and left respectively.

From minute 1, the match between Real Madrid and Girona was a high-intensity contest that saw the visitors struggle to convert their chances, ultimately ending in a 1-1 draw. Madrid started the game on the front foot, testing the Girona defense early. In the 9th minute, Arda Güler tried his luck with a wayward shot from the edge of the area that narrowly missed the target. Two minutes later, Kylian Mbappé also attempted a shot but it was much too high, a powerful left-footed effort inside the area that went over the bar. Mbappé had also shot over shortly before this.

Madrid continued to dominate possession and create near misses. In the 23rd minute, Vinícius Júnior hit a curling effort that skimmed just over the crossbar. Girona registered their first moment of note in the 26th minute when Viktor Tsygankov took a shot, which was caught by Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Moments later, Girona’s Azzedine Ounahi failed to find the target, resulting in a wayward shot.

The match’s dramatic tension escalated near the end of the first half. In the 38th minute, Madrid created an excellent opportunity when Éder Militão connected with a towering header after a great cross from Kylian Mbappe, forcing Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga to produce a brilliant save. This counted as a significant save and another near miss for Madrid. Almost immediately after, Madrid had the ball in the net, as Kylian Mbappé scored. However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out for handball against the Frenchman.

Against the run of play perhaps, Girona took the lead just before the break in the 45th minute. Azzedine Ounahi received an assist from Viktor Tsygankov and scored with a stunning strike into the top right corner, putting Girona up 1-0. The first half concluded with the score standing at Girona 1-0 Real Madrid.

Real Madrid made a change at the start of the second half to inject fresh energy, with Eduardo Camavinga replacing Arda Güler in the 46th minute. Madrid continued to press for an equalizer, and in the 54th minute, Paulo Gazzaniga once again came to the rescue for Girona, denying another header from Éder Militão.

Girona created a brilliant chance to double their lead in the 56th minute when Vladyslav Vanat found himself in a one-on-one situation, but Thibaut Courtois brilliantly saved the shot. Two minutes later, the referee issued the first card of the match, booking Girona’s goalscorer, Azzedine Ounahi, for a bad foul in the 58th minute.

Madrid had the ball in the net for a second time in the 60th minute, but the goal by Vinícius Júnior was ruled out for offside in the build-up. Madrid’s persistent pressure finally paid off in the 64th minute when Vinícius Júnior drew a penalty. He was clearly stamped on by Hugo Rincón inside the penalty area. Kylian Mbappé stepped up to take the resulting penalty in the 66th minute and converted it with a clinical right-footed shot to the bottom left corner, leveling the score at 1-1.

As the game entered the final phase, both teams pushed for a winner. In the 77th minute, Paulo Gazzaniga saved a shot from Vinícius Júnior from outside the box. Vinícius Júnior followed up with a wayward shot in the 78th minute, striking the ball from the left side of the box but sending it just a bit too high.

Girona made a double substitution in the 82nd minute: Abel Ruiz replaced goal-scorer Azzedine Ounahi, and Lancinet Kourouma replaced Vladyslav Vanat. The 80th minute brought another moment of controversy when Madrid appealed for a penalty after Rodrygo was brought down by Joel Roca, but the referee and VAR did not award a foul, as the contact was deemed too minimal for a penalty to be awarded.

The final near miss of the game came deep in stoppage time. In the 90th minute plus three, Kylian Mbappé attempted a right-footed shot from the centre of the box that was extremely close, missing to the right, and grazing the post. The match concluded in the 90th minute plus four with the final score level at Girona 1-1 Real Madrid, meaning that Madrid stayed second on the table, 1 point behind Barcelona.