The Merengues faced Girona in what turned out to be a tightly contested battle, ending in a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
Federico Valverde opened the scoring for Real Madrid just after the half-time break in the 50th minute. However, Girona’s Thomas Lemar equalized shortly after, finding the net in the 61st minute.
It was Lemar’s superb effort that grabbed the attention of the fans; he unleashed a stunning shot from the edge of the box, guided by a precise pass from Arnau Martinez, which found its way into the bottom left corner of the goal.
Despite dominating the match with a total of 14 shots, of which 6 were on target, Real Madrid struggled to convert their advantages into a win.
Thomas Lemar’s performance earned him the Man of the Match title, contributing not only with a goal but also completing 25 successful passes throughout the encounter.
Federico Valverde also put in an impressive display for Real Madrid, registering 1 goal, making 49 passes, winning back possession 4 times, and attempting 2 shots on target.
Coach Álvaro Árbeloa deployed a 4-3-3 formation, featuring Andriy Lunin in goal; Dani Carvajal, Raúl Asencio, Éder Militão, and Fran García in defense; Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, and Jude Bellingham in midfield; and Brahim Díaz, Kylian Mbappé, and Vinicius Júnior leading the attack.
On the other side, Girona, managed by Miguel Sánchez Muñoz, set up in a 4-3-3 formation with Paulo Gazzaniga in goal; Arnau Martinez, Alejandro Francés, Vitor Reis, and Álex Moreno at the back; Thomas Lemar, Axel Witsel, and Iván Martín in the midfield; and Viktor Tsygankov, Claudio Echeverri, and Azzedine Ounahi up front.
Javier Alberola Rojas officiated the match. In their next fixtures, Real Madrid will host Alavés while Girona will play at home against Betis.
With this draw, Real Madrid now sits at 70 points in the league standings, maintaining their second position, while Girona climbs to 38 points, ranked twelfth.
Substitutions for Real Madrid
78’ 2T – Fran García off for Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga off for Aurélien Tchouaméni.
83’ 2T – Brahim Díaz off for Gonzalo García and Iván Martín off for Fran Beltrán.
Yellow Cards for Real Madrid:
34’ 1T Kylian Mbappé (Unsporting behavior) and 75’ 2T Federico Valverde (Unsporting behavior).
Substitutes for Girona
63’ 2T – Claudio Echeverri off for Abel Ruíz, Jude Bellingham off for Arda Güler, and Éder Militão off for Dean Huijsen.
69’ 2T – Thomas Lemar off for Hugo Rincón and Azzedine Ounahi off for Bryan Gil.
84’ 2T – Abel Ruíz off for Cristhian Stuani.
Yellow Card for Girona:
87’ 2T Hugo Rincón (Unsporting behavior).