Real Madrid Held at Girona as Barcelona Stay Top

Real Madrid’s title push suffered another blow on Sunday after they were held to a 1-1 draw away at Girona, extending their winless run in La Liga to three matches and allowing Barcelona to remain top of the table.

Girona took a surprise lead before the break when Azzedine Ounahi rifled home from the edge of the area, silencing the visitors’ supporters and raising fresh questions over Madrid’s recent form.

The result left Xabi Alonso’s side second in the standings, a point behind Barcelona, who had moved into first place with a victory over Alaves on Saturday.

Madrid eventually rescued a point through Kylian Mbappé, who calmly converted from the penalty spot after Vinícius Júnior was brought down inside the box. It was the Frenchman’s 14th league goal of the campaign.

Earlier in the match, Mbappé had seen a goal ruled out for handball, while Arda Güler also went close in a tense and scrappy contest played out in front of an animated Montilivi crowd.

Girona, who sit just outside the relegation zone, again proved awkward opponents for the champions, having already enjoyed notable success against Madrid at the same venue in recent seasons.

Despite the salvaged draw, pressure continues to mount on Alonso following speculation about his future in the Bernabeu dugout.

“We are up there; it’s all very even. It’s a long season, and we have to continue,” he said afterwards. “I liked the reaction from the players. It was not enough to turn it around, but we were close.”

Madrid now face another tough test away from home when they travel to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday in their fourth straight league fixture on the road.

Mbappé echoed his manager’s mood on social media, writing, “Absolutely not the result we wanted tonight, but the league is still on and very long. We need to change this dynamic and show who we are as a team.”

Elsewhere, Villarreal strengthened their grip on third place with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Real Sociedad in San Sebastian, sealed by Alberto Moleiro’s stoppage-time winner.

The Canary Islands playmaker struck twice in the second half after Ayoze Pérez had opened the scoring for the visitors.

Sociedad fought back through Carlos Soler and a superb late free kick from Ander Barrenetxea, but Moleiro had the final say deep into added time.

The win marked Villarreal’s fifth straight league success, keeping them firmly in the title conversation.

“We had that little bit of luck to get three very important points, as important as they were difficult,” said coach Marcelino. “To get 32 points out of a possible 42 seems a stunning achievement.”

In Seville, Real Betis claimed local bragging rights with a 2-0 derby win over Sevilla in a heated encounter that was briefly halted late on after home fans threw bottles onto the pitch.

Players were taken off in the 87th minute before the match resumed 15 minutes later, with Betis holding on to secure fifth place.

While Barcelona remain in control at the summit for now, Madrid’s stuttering form has opened the door to a tighter title race as the season edges towards its decisive phase.