Real Madrid’s league woes continued on Sunday evening, with Xabi Alonso’s men only able to snag a point from a disappointing 1–1 draw with Girona.
A successful penalty from Kylian Mbappé was the only goal Los Blancos managed against their 18th-place opponents at the Estadi Montilivi. Despite rallying 25 shots the way of Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, only four were on target in another rather lifeless effort from Real Madrid.
The Spanish giants have now failed to win their last three La Liga matches, and only have one victory in their last five games across all competitions. What was once a five point gap atop the table has now seen Los Blancos fall to second place, with Barcelona one point ahead of their bitter rivals.
Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Girona (4-2-3-1)
GK: Thibaut Courtois—7.1: Saved his side on more than one occasion from complete embarrassment.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold—7.4: Provided brilliant service yet again that was crying out for a natural No. 9 inside the box.
CB: Éder Militão—7.6: Had more of an impact in the final third than most of Real Madrid’s attackers. Militão also looked like he had not missed a step in defense.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger—7.6: Sharp in his return from injury. Rüdiger locked down Vladyslav Vanat with ease.
LB: Fran García—6.8: Heaved in cross after cross from the left flank that more often found a Girona player than one in white.
DM: Federico Valverde—6.6: Virtually invisible, even when he was able to play a more advanced role in the second half.
DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—7.3: Uncharacteristically poor on the ball. The Frenchman was easily dispossessed and committed various blunders that could have blown the game wide open.
RW: Arda Güler—6.4: Pulled at halftime after a sloppy first half in which he failed to help his attack find any solution against Girona’s disciplined defense.
AM: Jude Bellingham—8.0: Looked much better once Güler came off. Bellingham was his side’s most dangerous player outside of Mbappé.
LW: Vinicius Junior—7.8: Got Real Madrid back into the game, but his lack of goalscoring is becoming a problem. Vinicius Jr has not found the back of the net in his last eight matches.
ST: Kylian Mbappé—8.3: Let down by his teammates. Mbappé bagged the visitors’ only goal and created the most chances on the night.
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, Brahim Díaz, Endrick, Franco Mastantuono
Girona (4-2-3-1)
Starting XI: Paulo Gazzaniga; Hugo Rincón, Arnau Martínez, Vitor Reis, Àlex Moreno; Iván Martín, Axel Witsel; Viktor Tsygankov, Azzedine Ounahi, Bryan Gil; Vladyslav Vanat
Subs used: Joel Roca, Yáser Asprilla, Alejandro Francés, Lass Kourouma, Abel Ruiz
Player of the Match: Kylian Mbappé
Girona 1–1 Real Madrid—How It Unfolded at the Estadi Montilivi
For the fifth match in a row, Real Madrid kicked off away from home, this time in Girona with the hopes of getting back to winning ways in La Liga. Raúl Asencio missed out on the trip due to illness, but Alonso welcomed back Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger and Franco Mastantuono from injury.
It came as no surprise Los Blancos got off to a comfortable start at the Estadi Montilivi, sending 18th-place Girona chasing after the ball. Despite a couple half-hearted, long-range chances from Vinicius Junior and Aurélien Tchouaméni, the Spanish giants struggled to turn their possession into dangerous chances.
Real Madrid’s shortcomings in the final third bled into their midfield and defense, with Tchouaméni and Trent Alexander-Arnold committing terrible blunders inside their own half that nearly gifted Girona two goals just before the half-hour mark.
The visitors thought they found an opener through Mbappé in the 40th minute, but a VAR review determined the Frenchman’s hand made contact with the ball before he sent it into the back of the net. Just five minutes later, Azzedine Ounahi ended a clinical counter attack from Girona with a brilliant curling strike that Thibaut Courtois had no chance of stopping.
Just like their prior two league matches, Alonso’s men headed down the tunnel without a goal. Real Madrid’s lack of invention carried through into the second half, once again looking like a team with zero creativity against a low block.
Frustration for the visitors only grew when Vinicius Jr’s equalizer in the 61st minute was waved away for offside. The Brazilian was quickly back at the center of action for Los Blancos, though, with a blistering run into the box that forced a clumsy challenge out of Hugo Rincón.
The referee immediately pointed to the spot and Mbappé calmed converted from 12 yards out to make it 1–1. The France international has now scored 14 goals in as many La Liga games this season.
Real Madrid had a flurry of opportunities to close out the game, including a golden chance in the final seconds of the match that fell to Mbappé, who put his curling shot just wide. The miss sent Alonso to his knees on the touchline right before the final whistle sounded.
Girona vs. Real Madrid Halftime Stats
Girona vs. Real Madrid Full Time Stats
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Girona: Another Poor Effort Gifts Barcelona First Place .
