Real Madrid hand Barcelona huge La Liga title chance after draw with Girona

Real Madrid draw means Barcelona can move nine points clear at the top of La Liga if they beat Espanyol on Saturday.Real Madrid had to settle for a 1-1 draw against mid-table Girona in La Liga, extending the hosts’ winless run to three games in all competitions and giving leaders Barcelona the chance to stretch their advantage at the top.Federico Valverde put Real ahead six minutes after halftime on Friday, but Girona levelled in the 62nd minute through Thomas Lemar.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Tyson Fury insists he’s ‘still got it’ ahead of Makhmudov comeback fightlist 2 of 4Five wickets in 5 balls, 9 in match: Brazil bowler breaks cricket recordslist 3 of 4Fury vs Makhmudov: All you need to know about the heavyweight boxing boutlist 4 of 4US Justice Department opens NFL probe with streaming services in spotlightend of listBarca have 76 points, six ahead of second-placed Real, who have now played a game more. The Catalan side visit Espanyol on Saturday and can move nine clear with seven matches left.Real began the night under pressure, having slipped to a loss at Mallorca last weekend to trail Barca by seven points.Coach Alvaro Arbeloa opted for a full-strength side despite Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg at Bayern Munich looming next Wednesday, in which his side must overturn a 2-1 deficit suffered at the Santiago Bernabeu.Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr led the line, with Jude Bellingham in midfield, as Real monopolised possession. Yet for all their territorial dominance, clear chances proved scarce in a tepid first half short on tempo and inspiration.Girona were content to sit deep and spring forward when possible. They came closest before the break when Azzedine Ounahi unleashed a fierce effort from inside the box, only for goalkeeper Andriy Lunin to produce a sharp reflex save.The contest finally flickered into life after halftime.Valverde broke the deadlock in the 51st minute with a low strike from the edge of the area that should have posed little threat, but Girona keeper Paulo Gazzaniga allowed the ball to squirm through his arms as he dropped to try to smother it.