Ramos racks up 25 red cards as Real Madrid suffer shock home defeat

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Real Madrid's resurgent La Liga run skidded to a halt as they fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at home by struggling Girona on Sunday in which captain Sergio Ramos was sent off in added time, leaving them nine points adrift of leaders Barcelona.

Real looked on course for a sixth consecutive league win when Casemiro leaped highest to meet a Toni Kroos cross and head them in front midway through the first half.

But Girona, who had not won in the league since November, came out with a vengeance in the second half, leveling in the 65th minute with a Cristhian Stuani penalty after a handball by Ramos.

Spanish striker Cristian Portu gave Girona an unlikely lead 10 minutes later, nipping in front of Madrid's lackluster defender Marcelo to nod in on the rebound after Thibaut Courtois could only parry a shot from visiting forward Anthony Lozano

Madrid substitutes Gareth Bale and Vinicius Jr each squandered opportunities to level and things got worse when Ramos earned a second yellow card in stoppage time and was sent off for the 25th time in club football.

Real goalkeeper Courtois came close to salvaging an equalizer late on but headed wide, leaving Real third in the standings on 45 points, nine behind table toppers Barcelona, who beat Real Valladolid 1-0 on Saturday and seven back from second-placed Atletico Madrid, 1-0 winners over Rayo Vallecano.

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior (C) reacts in frustration during a La Liga match against Girona at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain, February 17, 2019. /VCG Photo

"It's a real shame, we have lost three points and our direct rivals won, it's a shame because we were on a good run and we had reduced the gap, now we're three points further away than we were yesterday," said Real coach Santiago Solari.

"We have played a lot of games recently and that leads to not just physical tiredness but mental tiredness too, and that may have played a part in us losing energy in the second half."

Madrid had eased to a 7-3 aggregate win over Girona in the Copa del Rey last month, and with the Catalans sitting one point above the relegation zone and having lost their six previous games, a home win seemed highly likely.

Real Madrid bad boy

Ramos gave away the penalty from which Girona equalized by appearing to block a goal-bound shot in the area, escaping a potential straight red card but still earning a booking.

But the defender, who has been sent off more than any player in Spanish football, still managed to complete a quarter century of dismissals by getting a second yellow for kicking Girona's Pedro Alcala in the face as he attempted an overhead kick.

The red card saw Ramos, 32, become the first player to be sent off 20 times in La Liga but fortunately for him and Real, he will only serve a one-game ban, missing next week's trip to Levante but returning against Barcelona on March 2.

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos entrenched his reputation as the bad boy of Spanish football by earning a staggering 25th red card for the club. /CGTN

The dismissal also completed a troublesome week for Ramos, who is the subject of a UEFA investigation after appearing to admit that he had received a yellow card in Wednesday's Champions League last-16 first leg at Ajax Amsterdam on purpose.

Ramos denies the accusation, but if he is found guilty of intentionally earning a yellow card he would be suspended from the first leg of a potential quarter-final tie if Real progress.

Source(s): Reuters