Kylian Mbappe endured an off night as Real Madrid slumped to a 1-1 draw with Girona that may well kill off their La Liga title hopes. Federico Valverde’s second-half strike was countered by a Thomas Lemar goal to see the spoils shared at the Bernabeu. Los Blancos could trail Barcelona by nine points – with seven games to go – if their bitter rivals win on Saturday.
Madrid were in control for much of the first half. Alvaro Arbeloa made changes at the back but kept his main men in attack, and they created in bunches. Vinicius Junior came close repeatedly, only to be denied by Paulo Gazzaniga. Mbappe, meanwhile, was inconsistent and repeatedly failed to connect in front of goal. Girona had their forays on the break here and there, but a couple of neat stops from reserve goalkeeper Andriy Lunin kept them out.
Yet it was a goalkeeping error that changed things. Valverde unleashed a rather speculative strike shortly after half-time, which Gazzaniga failed to deal with. Girona worked their way back into the game, though. Thomas Lemar levelled things on the hour mark, smashing the ball past a helpless Lunin after manufacturing space on the edge of the box.
Los Blancos responded with a series of changes, but Girona were able to see out the result. Mbappe had one last chance, yet fired right at the goalkeeper – a moment that rather encapsulated a disappointing night in Madrid. They will need a miracle to hunt down Barcelona in the title race now.
GOAL rates Real Madrid’s players from the Bernabeu…
