Real Madrid left Montilivi on Sunday with more frustration than satisfaction after being held to a 1-1 draw by Girona, and head coach Xabi Alonso did not shy away from admitting where the match slipped away from his side.

Speaking after the final whistle on matchday 14 of LaLiga, Alonso acknowledged that while the performance improved as the game wore on, his team lacked the precision required in the decisive moments to secure all three points. "I think there was an improvement, especially in the second half," Alonso said in his postgame remarks.

"We pushed harder and created more chances. We lacked a bit of accuracy with the chances we had to take all three points. But we're still in it, it's all very close. It's a long season and we have to keep going." His words reflected both the positives he saw in his team's response and the reality that finishing, not effort, ultimately separated a win from another draw.

A couple of missed shots

Madrid entered the match determined to impose themselves early, pressing high and looking to recover the ball quickly. The plan worked in stretches during the opening half, as Arda Güler tested Girona from the edge of the box in the ninth minute before Kylian Mbappé followed with a powerful left-footed effort inside the area that flew just over the bar.

Vinícius Júnior later tried his luck with a fierce strike of his own, but again the ball sailed over the crossbar. Despite Madrid's early control, Girona gradually found their footing and created danger of their own, forcing Thibaut Courtois into a sharp double save from Tsygankov before Ounahi missed the follow-up.

Just before halftime, Madrid appeared to have broken through when Mbappé finished from close range, but the referee ruled the goal out after a VAR review spotted a handball by the French forward earlier in the move. The momentum swung quickly in the opposite direction, as Girona capitalized in stoppage time with a powerful right-footed strike from Ounahi that beat Courtois and sent the home side into the break with a 1-0 lead. The equalizer finally arrived in the 67th minute from the penalty spot, as Mbappé calmly converted after Hugo Rincón clipped Vinícius inside the area.

There's a need for greater consistency

Despite the missed calls and missed chances, Alonso focused on the broader picture of where his team stands after three consecutive draws in league play. He praised the squad's reaction and attitude but emphasized the need for greater consistency from the opening whistle.

"We needed to play more minutes of good football, attacking football and being dominant," Alonso said. "We did that much more in the second half and that's what we want. Why we didn't do it from the start is something we need to analyze." With the table remaining tightly packed, Alonso insisted that Madrid's outlook has not changed.

He pointed to the upcoming match in Bilbao as an immediate opportunity to correct course and finally secure an away win. "It's an opportunity to win away from home again," he said. "The points are what they are, we're still there. This is going to be a long season and the table is going to be very tight." For now, the draw at Montilivi serves as both a reminder of Madrid's resilience and a warning about the fine margins that continue to separate them from maximum results.