Real Madrid secured an impressive 3-0 triumph against Girona on Saturday evening in the 16th round of La Liga action at the Montilivi Stadium.
Bellingham, Güler, and Mbappé found the back of the net for Real Madrid in the 36th, 55th, and 62nd minutes, respectively.
This win propelled Real Madrid to 36 points, placing them in second in the La Liga standings, just two points shy of leaders Barcelona. Notably, Madrid still has a game in hand against Valencia, giving them the potential to reclaim the top spot.
Girona remained in eighth place with 22 points after this defeat.
The match kicked off with intense pressure from the home side. One of Girona’s earliest chances came in the 11th minute, when Asprilla unleashed a shot from the edge of the box that sailed over Courtois’ crossbar. Brian Gil followed up with a close effort that narrowly missed the right post.
Real Madrid’s defence responded through Antonio Rüdiger, whose long-range attempt failed to trouble Girona’s goalkeeper. The hosts had their most dangerous moment in the 28th minute when Dutchman Donny van de Beek fired from inside the area, but his shot soared over the bar.
It was Jude Bellingham who broke the deadlock in the 36th minute, delivering a thunderous strike from inside the area to put Real Madrid ahead.
The first half concluded with Los Blancos holding a 1-0 advantage.
In the early minutes of the second half, Real Madrid doubled their lead through Arda Güler. In the 55th minute, the young Turkish talent latched onto a sublime through ball from Jude Bellingham that sliced through Girona’s defence, calmly slotting it past the goalkeeper into the bottom-left corner.
Just moments later, in the 61st minute, Bellingham was forced to leave the pitch due to injury, prompting Dani Ceballos to take his place. Despite this setback, Madrid continued their attacking momentum, with Kylian Mbappé scoring the third goal in the 62nd minute. Luka Modrić set up the Frenchman with a precise pass, and Mbappé made no mistake, firing the ball confidently into the net.
Girona pushed to narrow the gap, with Danjuma attempting a shot from inside the area in the 71st minute, but it was safely collected by Thibaut Courtois. Mbappé almost added his second goal of the night shortly after, but Girona’s goalkeeper, Paulo Gazzaniga, made a spectacular save to deny him, diverting the effort for a corner.
Real Madrid faced another injury setback when Ferland Mendy was substituted in the 81st minute, replaced by Fran García. Brazilian youngster Endrick also made an appearance, and there was a moment of concern when Fauzou collided with Girona’s goalkeeper, but fortunately, he only sustained a minor knock.
Los Blancos attempted to extend their lead further in the closing stages, but Girona’s defence held firm. The match ended with a commanding 3-0 victory for Real Madrid, securing all three points and keeping the team firmly in the hunt for the top spot in La Liga.
