JUde Bellingham made his first start since February 1, but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback for Real Madrid, who missed a chance to put pressure on La Liga leaders Barcelona in a 1-1 draw with Girona on Friday.
Bellingham was sent off after 10 minutes against Rayo Vallecano and subsequently missed nine club matches, including the match against Manchester City that helped Real Madrid reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
He has come on as a substitute three times in the last three games against Madrid, but started against Girona, where the home side needed a win to close a seven-point lead over Barcelona.
Instead, Madrid ended the night regretting the missed opportunity.
Federico Valverde’s goal gave Madrid a 1-0 lead six minutes into the second half when Girona’s goalkeeper missed a long-range shot. However, the visiting Girona quickly equalized with French midfielder Thomas Lemar scoring from outside the box.
Bellingham was sent off shortly after, but neither substitute Alda Güler nor four other substitutes, including Luvallo Arbeloa, were able to give Madrid the three points they desperately needed for their 70,000 fans.
As has often been the case this season, Madrid were unable to convert pressure into opportunities and once again looked dangerous at the back.
This result comes on the heels of a 2-1 defeat to Mallorca in La Liga and a home defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Girona remained in 12th place.
