According to BBC Sport, Real Madrid saw their fading La Liga title hopes take another hit on Friday night after a frustrating draw with Girona at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Victory would have reduced the gap to leaders Barcelona to just four points ahead of their city derby against Espanyol. Instead, the Catalan giants now have the chance to move nine points clear at the top if they secure all three points on Saturday.
The result extends Real Madrid’s winless run to three matches across all competitions, further denting confidence at a critical stage of the season.
After a quiet first half, Federico Valverde broke the deadlock six minutes into the second period, firing a low effort from the edge of the box that slipped past Paulo Gazzaniga.
However, the lead lasted just 11 minutes. Thomas Lemar surged in from the right and drilled home an equaliser beyond Andriy Lunin, silencing the Bernabéu crowd.
Real pushed for a winner late on, but their efforts fell short. Kylian Mbappé had a penalty appeal waved away, summing up a frustrating night for the hosts.
Head coach Álvaro Arbeloa opted for a full-strength lineup after criticism of his rotation in last week’s shock defeat to Mallorca. That decision followed a 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Despite recalling key names like Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham, Madrid struggled to create clear chances in a flat opening 45 minutes.
The second half showed more urgency, but Girona’s equaliser disrupted their rhythm, and boos rang out at full-time as the home side failed to respond.
La Liga table after this result
With seven matches remaining, Barcelona now sit firmly in control of the title race. Real Madrid’s inconsistent domestic form, combined with their European struggles, has left them chasing rather than leading.
Attention now turns to Wednesday’s decisive trip to Germany, where Madrid must overturn a first-leg deficit against Bayern Munich to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
For Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso in January, the pressure is intensifying as results continue to fall short during a defining stretch of the season.