Girona vs Real Madrid Review
Real Madrid recovered from their midweek defeat and prevented consecutive La Liga losses by securing a 3-0 victory against Girona, ending the home team’s streak of three straight wins at Estadi Montilivi. After losing their last two away matches in all competitions, Real Madrid initially struggled to address their road issues, with Antonio Rüdiger’s long-range shot that went over the bar being their only attempt in the first 15 minutes. Despite having several promising plays, Girona failed to capitalize and challenge Thibaut Courtois.
Courtois might have been tested around the 30-minute mark when Yáser Asprilla delivered a lovely pass to Donny van de Beek, but his powerful shot just sailed over the bar. This ignited Los Blancos, and after a stunning long-range effort from Brahim Díaz forced a remarkable save from Paulo Gazzaniga, the visitors took the lead with 10 minutes left in the first half. Jude Bellingham capitalized on a poor clearance from Arnau Martínez, striking the ball through a crowd and past Gazzaniga for his fifth goal of the season.
With their dominance established, Carlo Ancelotti’s team aimed to extend their lead early in the second half, which could have happened just seven minutes in if not for another excellent save from Gazzaniga, who denied Aurélien Tchouaméni’s header from a Luka Modrić free-kick. However, the European champions didn’t have to wait long, as just three minutes later, Bellingham’s pass from the halfway line set up Arda Güler, who outmaneuvered the defender and scored his first goal of the season.
Girona had netted four goals in each of their last two home games, and they needed to replicate that performance shortly after the hour mark to keep their winning streak alive. This was prompted when Modrić set up Kylian Mbappé in the box, and the French forward struck the ball past Gazzaniga from a tight angle, scoring Real’s third goal.
Míchel’s team came closest to staging a comeback with a few shots on target from Asprilla and Arnaut Danjuma, but was ultimately not enough. This victory brought Real within two points of Barcelona, with a game still to play, although injuries to Bellingham and Ferland Mendy raised some concerns.
