With a home loss to a team that hadn't won in more than two months, Real Madrid wasted all the hard work that had allowed it to move closer to Barcelona at the top of the Spanish league.
After winning five in a row to cut Barcelona's lead to six points, Madrid was stunned 2-1 by relegation-threatened Girona at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Sunday, seeing its rival stretch the lead back to nine points.
"It's a shame that we let these points slip by," Real Madrid coach Santiago Solari said. "We were coming off a good run and we were getting closer to the lead."
Madrid was 10 points behind Barcelona only a few rounds ago.
Girona, which hadn't won in 13 matches in all competitions and was coming off six straight losses, scored two second-half goals to reverse a 1-0 halftime deficit at the Bernabeu.
The Catalan club hadn't won in the league since November and had entered the weekend one point from the relegation zone. Its last win in all competitions had been on Dec. 5 against Alaves in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey.
"It's a well-deserved prize after several matches without being able to win," Girona coach Eusebio Sacristan said. "We deserved the victory after the way we played in the second half."
Girona had lost twice to Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey last month, being outscored 7-3. It eliminated Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals on away goals after consecutive draws. Sunday's victory moved the team to 15th place in the league standings, four points from the relegation zone.
The surprise loss dropped Madrid to third place. Atletico Madrid moved to second again after defeating Rayo Vallecano 1-0 on Saturday to halt a two-game losing streak in the league. Barcelona later edged Valladolid 1-0 with a penalty kick converted by Lionel Messi at Camp Nou Stadium to end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
Madrid had won seven of its last eight matches in all competitions, with the only setback a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.
Solari made some changes to the starting lineup on Sunday, leaving Vinicius Junior and Gareth Bale on the bench after they started midweek in the 2-1 win at Ajax in the round of 16 of the Champions League. Marcelo, who had been left out of the Ajax game in the Netherlands, played from the beginning at the Bernabeu.
Casemiro opened the scoring with a firm header from near the penalty spot in the 25th minute after a cross by Toni Kroos, and Girona equalized with a penalty kick converted by Cristhian Stuani in the 65th after a handball by Sergio Ramos inside the area.
Girona had a golden chance to equalize about five minutes before the penalty, when Aleix Garcia's close-range shot went over the crossbar. The visitors moved in front with a 75th-minute header by Portu after Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois initially saved a shot by Anthony Lozano.
Portu had hit the post a few minutes earlier with a booming shot from inside the area.
Solari put on Vinicius Junior and Bale in the second half and Madrid pressed through the end to try to reverse the deficit. Courtois made it to the area in a last-gasp attempt, but couldn't get enough on his header, sending the ball just wide of the post.
Ramos was sent off in the 90th after receiving a second yellow card.
