Bale tries to slip through to pursue a Marcelo pass but is flagged for offside.
90' +3
Marcelo! His shot is saved from the set-piece delivered by Kroos. Madrid are throwing everything they have at Girona.
90' +1
There's going to be five added minutes for Madrid to snatch back a point, or for Girona to hold on for all three.
90'
Sergio Ramos gets a second yellow card and is sent off.
Sergio Ramos is off! It's a second yellow card and a subsequent red for the Madrid captain after he appears to catch Alcala's face trying an overhead kick. Los Blancos are going to have to play out this game a man down.
88'
Casemiro gets yellow.
Casemiro now gets a yellow card for a foul on Aleix Garcia, with the visitors handed a free-kick 25 yards out. Granell sees his effort skew wide however and Madrid get the goal-kick.
86'
Alcalá gets yellow.
Alcala now gets a booking for a follow-up foul on Bale, though Ramos is pinged for offside at the resulting free-kick.
84'
Valery enters the game and replaces Portu.
Girona make their final change, replacing Portu with Fernandez.
Lozano with the header! It just skirts over the crossbar and sails beyond the netting. Girona almost made it a two-goal gap there.
83'
Boos ring around the Santiago Bernabeu after a tussle between Vinicius and Ramalho sees the latter win the free-kick deep in Madrid territory.
80'
Vinicius fires another effort wide, this time brushing just past the right post with his strike following a cross from Odriozola.
Minute
Description
79'
Madrid could see their title hopes slip away with defeat today with Barcelona having opened a nine-point gap yesterday. They need this win and they need it desperately.
77'
Vinicius weaves a crazy run in response from the restart, down the left wing, slipping between defenders before firing his finish somewhere into the stands behind from 15 yards out. It’s an unrefined end to an excellent solo break.
75'
Portu has scored a goal for Girona!
PORTU FOR GIRONA! 2-1! The visitors lead with 15 minutes on the clock! What a turnaround this has been for Eusebio Sacristan’s side. Lozano slips down the left flank and fires a shot at Courtois that the keeper parries to the side, only for the former Albacete man to pounce and nudge the follow-up in at the post. Sensational stuff.
74'
M. Díaz enters the game and replaces Dani Ceballos.
Madrid make their final change with Mariano replacing Ceballos.
71'
Portu hits the post! That could have been the lead for Girona if it had only been two inches to the left. The woodwork is left rattling by his effort but Madrid survive that latest scare.
70'
Granell tries a prospective effort down the other end following a Luiz delivery and skews it considerably wide and high. The visitors have got the wind in their sails now.
68'
A foul now by Stuani on Casemiro gives Madrid a chance to pump a set-piece straight back into the Girona box following the restart but Ramos is caught offside by Kroos’ delivery, handing a free-kick the other way.
66'
G. Bale enters the game and replaces Marco Asensio.
Madrid make their second change of the game, replacing Asensio with Bale.
65'
Penalty goal scored by C. Stuani for Girona!
STUANI LEVELS FOR GIRONA! The striker tucks it slightly to the right as Courtois goes the wrong way and puts his side back on equal footing. What a turn of events for the visitors.
64'
Sergio Ramos gets yellow.
Ramos is naturally booked for his handball and Stuani will take the penalty for Girona.
61'
Garcia still looks absolutely furious with himself after that, though it’s Lozano who is penalised for a foul and concedes the free-kick shortly afterwards. The latter best watch himself with a card already to his name today.
59'
Aleix Garcia! How big a chance could that be? Lozano sees a neat header stopped by Courtois with the ball falling to the Girona man six yards out in front of a near-empty net – and he puts it over the crossbar and into orbit. It’s a horrendous miss.
58'
Vinícius Júnior enters the game and replaces Lucas Vázquez.
Madrid make their first change with Vinicius Junior replacing Vazquez up front.
56'
Lozano! The Girona man sees Courtois save his header tucked towards the top-right corner after he rose to meet a Ramalho cross. The visitors have still got some spirit going forward in them.
52'
Benzema picks out a cross from Asensio at the right post and nudges his header into the side netting. Girona look a lot looser around the back so far and Madrid are more than happy to exploit the space.
50'
Asensio! From the free-kick tipped into the penalty area, the Madrid man cracks a low effort in towards goal, but sees it ricochet around the defence before trickling wide at the right post.
48'
A. Lozano gets yellow.
Lozano is straight into the thick of things with the first booking of the game after he hacks down Odriozola with the pair in pursuit of a long ball down the right wing.
46'
A. Lozano enters the game and replaces Pedro Porro.
Aleix García enters the game and replaces Pere Pons.
Girona have also made a second change, introducing Lozano for Porro.
Girona have made a change at the break with Aleix Garcia replacing Pons.
We’re back underway for the second half at the Santiago Bernabeu. Will Madrid see this one out or do Girona have a trick up their sleeve?
45' +3
HALF-TIME: REAL MADRID 1-0 GIRONA
40'
It’s raining shots! Asensio sees an effort blocked and Marcelo goes high at one end while down the other Granell pushes an effort inches wide of the right post from distance, all in the space of a minute.
38'
The game is resumed with Pons able to continue. There’s been a few folk in the wars today.
36'
Play is now paused for another injury however after Pons comes off worse in a mid-air challenge for a cross with Varane. There’s no maliciousness but the Girona man stays down clutching his head, prompting the arrival of medics.
34'
Benzema actually looks like he might have picked up a small knock in his efforts to reach that pass. He’s moving a little slower than before with a touch of a pained grimace about him.
32'
A golden chance for Benzema! Vazquez squares a wonderful ball tantalisingly in front of his fellow striker, six yards out near the left post. The Frenchman miscues his pursuit however and falls over instead.
30'
Madrid press again and Ramalho takes no chances in putting out a Casemiro cross heading for Benzema, conceding the corner which Bounou deftly deals with and clears away.
25'
Casemiro has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by T. Kroos.
CASEMIRO GIVES MADRID THE LEAD! 1-0! It’s a bullet header from a second bite of the attack that puts the hosts in front. Bounou clears the latest corner, punching it out wide to the right wing. Kroos picks up the loose ball and floats it neatly back in for his fellow midfielder, who beats everyone to it and nods a powerful finish in at the left post.
It’s a pinpoint perfect assist from Kroos, one of the more key cogs in this team of superstars sometimes. Girona will feel hard done by to have perhaps gone behind first.
23'
Consecutive corners now for Madrid ramp up the pressure on the Girona defence, with the referee giving a talking to captain Granell over some of the tactics employed at the set-pieces.
21'
Asensio tucks a low shot shortly afterwards for the hosts past two Girona defenders, only to put it straight into the arms of Bounou.
20'
This game has sparked into dramatic life all of a sudden. Ceballos becomes the latest man to have a crack at goal, though his shot is a horrifically skewed effort that flies closer to the right corner flag than the post.
16'
A long ball blasted downfield towards the Madrid box sees Pons and Ramos give chase. The latter makes a dramatic roll and earns the free-kick.
14'
Girona will be satisfied with how much of an even keel they’ve held Madrid in these opening exchanges. The visitors haven’t shown any exceptional flair but they’ve mostly worked to ensure the hosts can’t steamroller them either.
12'
Porro clips Kroos from behind with a sturdy challenge and Madrid pick up a free-kick in the centre-left flank 25 yards out. The midfielder tips it in towards the far post, but Juanpe smothers it away with a header.
9'
Madrid are yet to show any serious attacking aptitude themselves yet, with some sloppy passing from Ceballos slipping to opposition defenders rather than Casemiro or Asensio down the left edge.
7'
Portu breaks free just a moment later however down the left wing, though he leaves his cut-back to Stuani too late for the striker to reel in before bundling it wide of the goal.
6'
The hosts have responded to that early lapse at the back with some aggressive field play, boxing Girona’s midfield deep inside their own half and holding a tight leash on their ability to break free.
4'
Play is resumed, with Courtois back on his feet and able to continue.
2'
It’s the visitors with the first great chance of the game as a long ball down the right wing is shipped up to Stuani, who outmuscles Varane to blast a shot at Courtois from close range. The Madrid keeper stops it with his face and gets a bloody nose as a result.
1'
We are underway in this LaLiga clash between Real Madrid and Girona!
Los Blancos have gone unbeaten in their last eight games, previously tasting defeat in a Copa del Rey second-leg tie against Levante last month and now have the chance to warm up for the semi-finals of that very competition in style today.
Santiago Solari’s side put one foot into the quarter-finals of the Champions League following a contentious win over Ajax in Amsterdam this week but with attention turned firmly back to domestic matters, they’ll be hoping to deliver a routine win over their Catalan opponents.
Eusebio Sacristan’s side, if anything however, will be just as desperate to pick up the win as they remain perilously close to the bottom three in 17th. They have delivered shocks over their hosts before, winning 2-1 last season too. Could lightning strike twice for them?
Subs: Anthony Lozano, Paik Seung-Ho, Patrick Roberts, Valery Fernandez, Gorka Iraizoz, Aleix Garcia, Carles Planas.
REAL MADRID (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Alvaro Odriozola, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Dani Ceballos; Lucas Vazquez, Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio.
GIRONA (3-5-2): Yassine Bounou; Jonas Ramalho, Pedro Alcala, Juanpe; Pedro Porro, Pere Pons, Douglas Luiz, Alex Granell, Raul García; Portu, Cristhian Stuani.
Casemiro’s bullet header is the difference between Real Madrid and Girona in what has been a hotly contested LaLiga clash at Santiago Bernabeu so far, with both sides notching up plenty of chances so far. The hosts are good value for their lead so far, but their lowly visitors have mostly matched them blow for blow so far with less ball overall. It’s all set for a great final 45 minutes; at half-time, it’s Real Madrid 1-0 Girona.
Real Madrid have won four of their five competitive games against Girona, losing only in their first ever meeting, played last season in LaLiga.
That’s six LaLiga goals for Stuani against Madrid by the way, which is more than he has scored against any other club. That could be the win that Girona need to save their top-flight status – and that could be the defeat that puts an end to Santiago Solari’s title ambitions.
Both sides are back in LaLiga action next week, with Girona hosting Real Sociedad and Madrid making the trip to Levante. Until then however, thank you for joining us – and have a good week!
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2018-19 LaLiga campaign as Real Madrid look to keep up their pursuit of leaders and champions Barcelona with the visit of Girona to the Santiago Bernabeu.
The teams are out at the Santiago Bernabeu and we’re moments away from kick-off.
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