Real Madrid could only manage a draw against relegation battling Girona at Santiago Bernabeu, in what was a bit of a shock in the middle of a season in which Los Blancos have been nearly flawless. We have seen a few stumbles in recent games though, and Carlo Ancelotti’s side had lost in midweek against RB Leipzig in the Champions League as well.
On the day, Real Madrid were without Karim Benzema and Aurelien Tchouameni, with both believed to be dealing with muscular issues. And it is safe to say that Los Blancos missed the Frenchmen against Girona.
Going forward, they were not as effective without the Ballon d’Or winner, while in the middle of the park, they missed the presence of Tchouameni, who has nailed down his spot in the team since arriving in the summer.
The big controversy of the game though was surrounding the penalty kick that Girona received, through which they equalised. Ancelotti did not believe that it was the right decision from the referee and made it clear after the match. As reported by Real Madrid’s official website, he said:
"“I don’t like to talk about referees but I will today. The first situation is a clear one. It’s not a penalty because he doesn’t touch it with his hand. I asked Asensio and he said he never touched it with his hand, it came off his chest. The left hand was in an odd position. If he’d have touched it with his hand, there may have been doubts around it. He didn’t handle it, they’ve made it up.”"
Ancelotti unhappy with the penalty given against Real Madrid
It is safe to say that the penalty kick that went in favour of Girona ended up costing Real Madrid on the day.
After Girona made it 1-1, Real Madrid could not find a second goal and the game ended all square, with Los Blancos dropping points in a game that they were expected to win quite comfortably.
The result means that Barcelona are now just a point behind Real Madrid in the La Liga table, after the same amount of games played between the two sides. And it is safe to say that this is going to be a close title race between clearly the two best teams in Spain.
The biggest issue for Los Blancos right now is not Barcelona though but the number of injuries they are dealing with.