Real Madrid’s pursuit of the La Liga title suffered a massive blow on Friday night as they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Girona at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The result leaves Los Blancos six points behind leaders Barcelona, who now have a golden opportunity to extend their lead to nine points with a victory over Real Oviedo on Saturday.

The match remained deadlocked until early in the second half when Federico Valverde broke the stalemate. Shortly after the restart, the Uruguayan midfielder unleashed a superlative long-range effort that Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga failed to handle, gifting Madrid a precious lead. However, the joy in the capital was short-lived as the visitors refused to back down.

Girona found their equalizer on the hour mark through a moment of brilliance from Thomas Lemar. The French midfielder manufactured space on the edge of the area before firing a powerful strike past Andriy Lunin, who was standing in for the injured Thibaut Courtois. Despite a late onslaught from the home side, including several missed opportunities by an inconsistent Kylian Mbappé, Girona’s defense held firm to secure a well-earned point.

The draw highlights a worrying trend for Alvaro Arbeloa’s side, who have now dropped points in two of their last five league outings. With only seven games remaining in the season, the pressure is mounting on the defending champions to find consistency if they hope to catch a relentless Barcelona side that has won five matches on the bounce.

As it stands, Real Madrid sits on 70 points from 31 games, while Barcelona remains at the summit with 76 points and a game in hand. For Girona, the result moves them up to 12th place with 38 points, further distancing themselves from the relegation scrap and proving once again to be a “giant-killer” in Spanish football.