Real Madrid's winless run across competitions reached three matches with a 1-1 La Liga draw against Girona at the Santiago Bernabéu on Friday. Federico Valverde scored in the 51st minute, but Thomas Lemar equalized 11 minutes later. The result leaves Madrid six points behind leaders Barcelona (with one more game played), while coach Álvaro Arbeloa criticized the referee and VAR over a late penalty claim on Kylian Mbappé, whose face was bloodied.
Real Madrid entered the match following consecutive 2-1 defeats: a La Liga loss at Mallorca last Sunday and a Champions League quarter-final first-leg reverse to Bayern Munich at home on Tuesday. The Whites, who had regained the La Liga lead in mid-February, have since faltered, earning just 10 points from their last 21 league games with prior losses to Osasuna, Getafe at home, and Mallorca. Girona arrived in solid form after a 1-0 home win over Villarreal on Monday, sitting nine points above the relegation zone with eight matches remaining.
The low-tempo affair saw Madrid muster 22 shots (nine on target) but struggle for sparkle against a compact Girona defense. Valverde opened the scoring in the 50th minute with a strike from outside the box, only for Lemar to equalize soon after from the edge of the area. Mbappé missed clear chances and, late on, suffered an elbow from Vitor Reis that bloodied his face; Arbeloa called the non-awarded penalty "a penalty here and on the Moon," questioning the VAR decision.
Arbeloa experimented with Camavinga as midfield pivot and Bellingham, returning from injury, alongside Valverde—preparations for the Champions League return leg at Bayern Munich on Wednesday without the suspended Tchouameni. "I wanted to see Camavinga in that position. He feels very comfortable as a six," the coach said, while lamenting the team's error streak: “We need to give 200%. We are not a team capable of always winning at 90%. Otherwise, accidents can happen too continuously.” Fans whistled the team and Camavinga upon his lackluster substitution.
The draw boosts Barcelona's momentum ahead of their Saturday clash with Espanyol, where a win could extend their lead to nine points and all but seal the title. Madrid now turn their focus to Germany.
