Slumping Girona, limp Barcelona fail to exploit Real slip

Girona and Barcelona missed the chance to gain ground on Real Madrid, both settling for draws in Liga matches Sunday.

On a pivotal Sunday in La Liga, Girona and Barcelona missed opportunities to close the gap on league leaders Real Madrid.

Girona, hoping to bounce back from a recent slump, fell short as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Mallorca. This result allowed Barcelona the chance to move into second place, but they were held to a goalless draw by Athletic Bilbao.

Despite the setbacks, Girona remained in second place, seven points behind Real Madrid, with Barcelona trailing closely behind. Atletico Madrid solidified their fourth-place position with a 2-1 victory over Real Betis.

The weekend's action began on Saturday with a controversial 2-2 draw between Real Madrid and Valencia, where Jude Bellingham was sent off for protesting a disallowed goal. Mallorca secured a crucial victory over Girona, with Jose-Manuel Copete scoring the only goal of the match.

Barcelona's lackluster performance against Bilbao was highlighted by injuries to key players Frenkie de Jong and Pedri Gonzalez. Despite their disappointment, coach Xavi Hernandez acknowledged that his team could have done more.

Atletico Madrid took an early lead against Betis, benefiting from an own goal before Alvaro Morata sealed the victory with a goal of his own. Betis managed to pull one back through William Carvalho, but Atletico held on for a well-deserved win.

In the day's opening game, Villarreal dominated Granada with a 5-1 victory, thanks in part to a hat-trick from Alexander Sorloth. The results of the weekend's matches have set the stage for an exciting race to the finish in La Liga.