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04/10 17:08 CDT Bellingham returns to Real Madrid lineup but old frailties
persist in draw with Girona
Bellingham returns to Real Madrid lineup but old frailties persist in draw with
Girona
MADRID (AP) --- Jude Bellingham's first start since Feb. 1 was not enough to
spark a Real Madrid revival as they drew with Girona 1-1 and missed a chance to
put pressure on La Liga leader Barcelona on Friday.
Bellingham was withdrawn after 10 minutes in a game against Rayo Vallecano and
subsequently missed nine club matches, including the twin victories over
Manchester City that took Real Madrid into the Champions League quarterfinals.
He made three substitute appearances in Madrid's previous three games but
started against Girona in a fixture the home side needed to win to cut into
Barcelona's seven-point lead.
Instead, Madrid ended the night ruing missed opportunities.
Federico Valverde put Madrid 1-0 up six minutes into the second half when the
Girona goalkeeper allowed his long-range shot to squirm through his hands. But
visiting Girona wasted no time in levelling the scores after French midfielder
Thomas Lemar rifled home from outside the box.
Bellingham bowed out moments later but neither his replacement Arda Guler nor
any of Alvaro Arbeloa's other four changes were able to bring Madrid and the
70,000 fans present the three points they coveted.
As so often this season, Madrid was unable to convert pressure into chances and
it was suspect at the back once again.
The result was hot on the heels of 2-1 losses to Mallorca in La Liga and at
home to Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal.
Girona remained in 12th place.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
