Real Madrid Blow Away Title Rivals Girona With Thumping 4-0 Victory

The LALIGA title race could be over with 14 games left to play after Real Madrid crushed nearest rivals Girona at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday night.

The home team won 4-0 in the biggest victory recorded by any league leader against the competition’s second-placed team at home since Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5-0 in 1945.

Girona had been LALIGA’s surprise this season, coming into this match just two points behind Real Madrid and having been defeated just once all season, against their rivals at the Estadi Montilivi in ​​a 3-0 defeat in September .

The visitors had the odds stacked against them in their last game, with coach Míchel suspended on the sideline after being sent off for his protests against a refereeing decision against Real Sociedad last weekend. In addition, influential midfielder Yangel Herrera and experienced defender Daley Blind were absent due to their own suspensions after receiving five yellow cards.

That’s not to say that Carlo Ancelotti didn’t face his own headaches on the Real Madrid pitch. Antonio Rüdiger had to miss due to injury, so the Italian did not have central defenders suitable for this match.

In the end, there were few defensive concerns for Real Madrid as Girona failed to get a single shot on goal at the Bernabéu. Instead, it was Vinícius Júnior who opened the scoring in just six minutes with a good shot from the edge of the area.

Once the treasure chest was opened, Real Madrid found their space and allowed Jude Bellingham to exploit it. The England international scored two more goals to give the league leaders a convincing lead over their nearest rivals.

In another moment of individual brilliance, Rodrygo Goes made it four as he broke through the Girona defense and then beat Paulo Gazzaniga in the Girona goal, and Joselu then missed the chance to make it five by taking a penalty kick against the post on the edge of full time.

What does this result mean for the LALIGA title race?

In mathematical terms, Girona is still in the fight. This was only their second defeat of the season and they have only drawn five of 24. That means they are keeping pace with Real Madrid and are only five points behind Los Blancos.

“A victory will only give an advantage, but the title will be decided later,” Ancelotti insisted in his pre-match press conference on Friday, but now even the Italian must feel quietly optimistic.

Not only is the gap between both teams now five points, but Real Madrid have also secured a convincing margin in the head-to-head comparison. The overall result between the two legs means that Real Madrid beat Girona 7-0, which is equivalent to one more point in the standings.

With several months left in the season, and Real Madrid facing its own problems with a defensive injury crisis, there is plenty to compete for, but it would take a true collapse on Real Madrid’s part to lose their lead. They are undefeated in LALIGA since the defeat against Atlético de Madrid in September, they have now equaled Girona in goals scored with 52 and have conceded six fewer goals than the next best defensive record in the competition.