Real Madrid’s title push stalled again on Sunday as they were held to a third straight La Liga draw, a 1-1 slip at Girona that allowed Barcelona to stay in the driver’s seat.
Azzedine Ounahi stunned Madrid with a first-half strike before Kylian Mbappe dragged the visitors level from the spot.
Madrid, needing a win to reclaim first place after Barcelona beat Alaves on Saturday, instead remain second – one point off the reigning champions.
Earlier, Alberto Moleiro lifted Villarreal back into third with a stoppage-time winner in a 3-2 thriller at Real Sociedad, nudging them ahead of fourth-place Atletico Madrid.
The latest stumble tightens the pressure on coach Xabi Alonso, with recent rumors already questioning the security of his position in the Madrid dugout.
“We are up there, it’s all very even, it’s a long season and we have to continue,” Alonso told reporters.
“I liked the reaction from the players. It was not enough to turn it around, but we were close, and we have to continue with the unity we have, being self-critical enough and wanting to win away from home.”
Madrid travel to face Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday for a fourth consecutive league match on the road, a game moved because of the club’s participation in the Spanish Super Cup in January.
“The table will be hard-fought, there will be lots of movement,” Alonso added.
Mbappe and Arda Güler fired off target for Madrid early on in a hotly contested but scrappy clash in front of a raucous home crowd.
Mbappe had a goal ruled out for handball moments before Morocco international Ounahi fired Girona ahead, rifling home from just inside the area to stun the visitors.
Girona, 18th, have twice beaten Madrid at Montilivi since making their top-flight debut in 2017, and for a while it looked as if they might manage it again.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a superb save to tip away Vanat’s drive across goal before Los Blancos fought back.
After having a goal disallowed for offside, Vinicius was clumsily fouled in the box by Hugo Rincon.
Mbappe smashed the resulting penalty into the bottom-left corner past Paulo Gazzaniga’s dive for his 14th La Liga goal of the season.
“Absolutely not the result we wanted tonight, but the league is still on and very long,” Mbappe wrote on Instagram. “We need to change this dynamic and show who we are as a team.”
Villarreal playmaker Moleiro scored twice in the second half of a thrilling game in San Sebastian as the team secured their fifth consecutive league win to stay firmly in the Spanish title fight.
Ayoze Perez put the visitors ahead midway through the first half and set up Moleiro for Villarreal’s second soon after the break.
Real Sociedad fought back strongly, with Carlos Soler scoring in the 60th minute. The Basque side increased the pressure and equalized late through a spectacular Ander Barrenetxea free kick.
However, Moleiro had the final say, firing home in the 95th minute to maintain the team’s momentum.
“We had that little bit of luck to get three very important points, as important as they were difficult to get,” Villarreal coach Marcelino said. “To get 32 points out of a possible 42 to me seems a stunning achievement.”
Elsewhere, Real Betis claimed a 2-0 win at Sevilla in a fiery derby that was briefly suspended after home fans threw bottles onto the pitch.
The referee ordered players off the field in the 87th minute at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, with the match resuming 15 minutes later as Betis held on to fifth place.
