Real Madrid drew 1-1 away at Girona in the 14th round of LaLiga, in a duel in which the opening goal was scored before half-time, immediately after a goal by Kylian Mbappe was disallowed for offside. However, a penalty by Vinicius Junior in the second half, which was later converted by the “los blancos” star from the Hexagon, brought a point for the Xabi Alonso-trained team in the company of a team that has remained unbeaten at home since September.

Real Madrid travelled to Catalonia to “face off” with Michel’s team, who were, before this match, in 18th place in the general hierarchy with a total of 12 points collected after the first 13 rounds played, while the “galactics” came to the duel against Girona as the occupant of the second position in the Spanish championship, two lengths behind the current leader, Barcelona. Prior to this game, the Catalan team had recorded a draw in the previous round, in Seville, against Betis, and “los blancos” had also drawn in the company of Elche, final score 2-2, in a match in which they returned to the scoreboard twice.

However, the most recent match in which the players coached by Xabi Alonso had featured was the UEFA Champions League, in Greece, where Real Madrid narrowly missed out, with a final score of 4-3, against Olympiakos, with Kylian Mbappe being the protagonist of the match, after scoring four times against the Greeks. The statistics recorded by the group from the Spanish capital in the last two official games that were played in LaLiga, preceding the confrontation in Catalonia, were not auspicious, as against both Rayo Vallecano and Elche, the three points could not be won.

Michel could not rely on the services of, among others, Daley Blind, Juan Carlos, Thomas Lemar, Portu, Stuani or Donny van de Beek for this duel, while the Basque coach of the guests did not have Dean Huijsen, Daniel Carvajal, David Alaba, and Raul Asencio available in the small group that traveled to Girona, the last of whom became absent in the last hundred meters, after the team doctors confirmed a muscle strain. The good news that the supporters of the vice-champion of Spain received in the perspective of this match were the returns to the defensive zone of Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao.

In the previous season, at the “Municipal de Motilivi” stadium, Real Madrid scored a decisive victory, with a final score of 3-0, in a match in which Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe would score, and the return leg at the “Bernabeu” meant a new opportunity for the team prepared, at the time, by Carlo Ancelotti, to collect all three points, because the “galactics” prevailed with a two-goal difference, with Luka Modric and Vinicius Junior being decisive in that match.

This time, the match that counted for the 14th round of the domestic competition in Spain started with both teams groping each other, the first important goal opportunity appearing in the 38th minute, when Kylian Mbappe’s cross from the left flank was headed by Eder Militao, but Paulo Gazzaniga was on the post and showed a sensational reflex to block the opening of the score.

Immediately afterwards, a quick combination in a confined space by the visitors’ Hexagon forward and Arda Guler left the former Paris Saint-Germain player alone with the opposing goalkeeper. The LaLiga top scorer took over from several Girona defenders and finished on foot, but the goal was disallowed, due to a mistake committed by Kylian Mbappe in the build-up of the phase.

The scoreboard was finally broken in the first half, however, and the hosts were the ones who scored before the dressing rooms were even open. An inspired deflection by Viktor Tsygankov from the centre of the pitch, after the Ukrainian player had received a pass from Arnau Martinez, allowed Azzedine Ounahi to fire a powerful, unstoppable shot from the first, under the crossbar defended by Thibaut Courtois, who had returned between the Madrid goals and given his team the advantage.

One minute after the 60th minute of actual play, Kylian Mbappe passed to Vinicius Junior who managed to send the ball into the Catalan team’s goal, but the goal scored by the Brazilian footballer was disallowed for offside.

The same left winger from Real Madrid was fouled in the box by Hugo Rincon, the latter stepping on his opponent in a quick action, and the center of the match pointed towards the spot with lime. From 11 meters, Kylian Mbappe kept his calm and beat the Argentine goalkeeper of the club trained by Michel, reaching the milestone of 14 goals scored this season in the Spanish championship.

The last great chance to score and get all three points belonged to the same “ten” of the team led by Xabi Alonso, when the ball released by Thibaut Courtois was deflected behind by Antonio Rudiger to Rodrygo. The ball reached the home team’s box, and the execution of the French footballer went just wide of the Girona goal.

The draw between the Catalan team and the club from the Spanish capital keeps Real Madrid in second place in the general hierarchy with a total of 33 points, one length behind Barcelona, ​​while the players trained by Michel are in 18th place with a total of 12 points. In the next round, “los blancos” will face Athletic Bilbao, away, in a match that will be played earlier than originally scheduled, as a result of the presence of the two clubs in the next edition of the Spanish Super Cup, and the Catalans will duel with Ourense, in the third round of the Copa del Rey.