Girona’s Title Hopes Dented as Mallorca Secures 1-0 Vital Win

Girona’s league champions aspirations took a significant blow as they fell to a hard-fought 1-0 defeat against relegation-threatened RCD Mallorca.

The loss widened the gap between Girona & La Liga leaders Real Madrid to seven points, as Girona’s struggles away from home persisted, extending their winless streak to six matches with three draws and three losses.

The match began with a promising opportunity for Girona as Miguel Gutiérrez set up Iván Martín in the box, but Martín’s header was comfortably saved by Predrag Rajković. Mallorca, sustained by their recent Copa del Rey final qualification, responded energetically.

Vedat Muriqi came close to scoring with a clever lob that forced Gazzaniga to tip the ball onto the crossbar from Dani Rodríguez’s curling cross.

Mallorca eventually took the lead in the 33rd minute when a corner from Rodríguez was punched away by Gazzaniga, only for the ball to fall to Omar Mascarell whose shot, deflected off Cyle Larin, found its way to José Manuel Copete to score from close range, with the goal standing after a VAR check for handball against Larin.

In the second half, Girona aimed to come back but faced early scares, including a risky backheel from Aleix García that almost gifted Mallorca another goal. Girona pressed forward, with chances for Artem Dovbyk & substitute Portu, but they were unable to find the back of the net. Despite late efforts from Cristhian Stuani and Viktor Tsygankov, Girona couldn’t overturn the result. This defeat marked Girona’s first run of three consecutive away losses since October 2022.

Meanwhile, Mallorca climbed to 15th place in the league, now sitting comfortably eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Barcelona now has the opportunity to surpass Girona in the standings and claim the 2nd spot in La Liga with a victory in their upcoming match.