Real Madrid waves the white flag in the La Liga title race against Barcelona

The loss of extremely important points against Girona forces Real Madrid to virtually wave the white flag in La Liga in their effort to narrow the distance with Barcelona. The Spanish Royal club risks seeing rival Barcelona widen the gap to 9 points after round 31.

In this round, Real Madrid played at their home stadium Bernabeu against Girona, but the squad under coach Alvaro Arbeloa could not capitalize on the advantage.

Having gained the advantage to lead the opponent, however the White Eagles later failed to preserve the score and allowed Girona to equalize 1-1. Despite great effort, Real Madrid could not score another goal, helplessly sharing points and nearly losing hope of competing for the championship with Barcelona. Los Blancos currently have 70 points, trailing the Catalan club by 6 points while having played one more match.

This is also the third consecutive match in which the Spanish Royal club has not won in the two main arenas: La Liga and the Champions League. This disastrous draw puts Real not only at risk of being left far behind by Barcelona, but also without the best mental preparation ahead of the "big battle" against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final return leg.

Coach Arbeloa insists that the La Liga title race this season is not over. "Only when there is no mathematical chance, everything ends. Until then, the whole team will fight to the end. This is Real, and we must fight until the last day," the Real coach emphasized.

Arbeloa's statement serves as a reminder that Real Madrid's DNA is overcoming adversity. Even if the gap could become 9 points—an extreme challenge—with the spirit of "fighting until the last breath," the Spanish Royal club still hopes for a spectacular overthrow in the remaining stages of the season.

This round, Barcelona will widen the gap with Real Madrid to 9 points if they defeat Espanyol at their home Nou Camp in the match scheduled for the evening of April 11.

Real Madrid's unexpected stumble at home against Girona has created a decisive turning point in this season's La Liga title race. Now, Barcelona's coronation scenario is becoming very favorable. Coach Hansi Flick's team faces the opportunity to extend the gap with their great rival to 9 points, a safe number with only 7 rounds left in the competition.

Regarding form, in the last 5 recent encounters, Barcelona has won 3 and drawn 2.

The Catalan derby in round 31 of this season's La Liga takes place in the context of Barcelona racing firmly towards the finish line with a solid top position. With a fiery attacking style and superior ball control ability, Coach Hansi Flick's squad is turning every home match into a display of power. Having scored 80 goals against opponents is the most stern warning sent to Espanyol's defense, which is not too solid.

Barcelona will certainly want a victory not only to consolidate their top position but also to affirm their dominant status in Catalonia.

According to calculations, with the current point advantage, Barcelona does not necessarily need to win, or even gain any points in the remaining 4 away trips against Getafe, Osasuna, Alaves, and Valencia. Instead, they only need to turn the Camp Nou fortress into an impregnable stronghold in the last 4 matches here to officially successfully defend the crown.

The schedule greatly favors the Catalan giant as they have two consecutive home matches against Espanyol and Celta Vigo, before hosting Real Madrid and Real Betis.

Among these, the upcoming El Clasico on May 10 will be the key. A victory over Real Madrid would not only bring 3 points but also directly eliminate the opponent's chance to chase.

Even in the worst-case scenario where Real and Barcelona finish the season with equal points, the Catalan club still holds the advantage due to a superior goal difference. Currently, they lead Real by a 15-goal margin. This means the ticket to hold the La Liga championship trophy is almost securely in the hands of Coach Hansi Flick and his players.