Mbappé’s penalty almost rescues Real Madrid against Girona

WEB DESK: Real Madrid were forced to settle for a draw at Girona after Kylian Mbappé’s second-half penalty salvaged a point, denying Los Blancos a return to the top of La Liga. The champions, who came into the match trailing Barcelona by a single point, delivered an uneven performance that left them frustrated at Montilivi.

Girona, fighting to escape the relegation zone, stunned the visitors just before the interval. A swift counter-attack carved open Real’s midfield before Viktor Tsygankov teed up Azzedine Ounahi, who curled a first-time strike into the top corner from the edge of the box. The goal rewarded Girona’s disciplined marking and Real’s lack of cutting edge in a sluggish first half, during which the visitors mustered only one effort on target. Mbappé had earlier found the net, but his finish was ruled out for handball as he controlled the ball.

Real improved after the break, adopting a more direct approach and pushing through the centre while Vinicius Jr tried to exploit space out wide. The Brazilian did briefly think he had equalised, tapping in after a flowing move, but he too was judged offside.

The breakthrough finally came in the 67th minute when Vinicius was tripped inside the area by Hugo Rincón. Mbappé stepped up and coolly drove his penalty low beyond Paulo Gazzaniga, bringing his tally to 23 goals in 19 appearances this season.

Despite late pressure, Real Madrid could not find a winner and have now managed only one victory in their past five matches across all competitions. Girona remain third from bottom but earned a valuable point, while Real stay second in the table, still one behind Barcelona.