Real Madrid dropped points in La Liga for only the second time this season, playing out a 1-1 draw against Girona at home. The absence of Karim Benzema and Aurelien Tchouameni from the starting line-up impacted the team quite heavily.
Rodrygo was started as the centre-forward while Eduardo Camavinga completed the midfield trio with Kroos and Modric. However, it was a frustrating afternoon for the defending champions as they failed to capitalise on their chances.
Real Madrid held to draw by Girona at home
Vinicius Jr opened the scoring in the 70th minute, scoring his sixth goal in La Liga this season. The Brazilian was found by Fede Valverde, who squared the ball across the goalpost for the left winger to tap in.
However, their lead would not last very long. VAR deemed that Marco Asensio had handled the ball in his own penalty area, and after a check, a penalty was awarded in the 80th minute. Cristhian Stuani made no mistake from the spot, sending Thibaut Courtois the wrong way to equalise with ten minutes of regulation time remaining.
Before nine minutes were added on, Rodrygo thought he had scored the winner, but it was ruled out for an apparent foul on opposition goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. Toni Kroos was sent off in the first minute of injury time, for a second yellow card he picked up for a foul.
And as a result, Real Madrid finished the game with ten men and two points dropped. They have returned to the top of the table, but only have a one point lead over Barcelona now.
