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Luka Modric joined Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012 Luka Modric scored a stunning goal to help send Real Madrid second in La Liga as they ended a run of three games without a win against a battling Girona. Rivals Barcelona occupy top spot with Real second on goal difference, and Atletico Madrid a point adrift in third. With England midfielder Jude Bellingham watching on from the stands after receiving a red card in the draw with Osasuna, Modric opened the scoring by controlling the ball on his chest and smashing a half-volley past Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga from 25 yards. Vinicius Junior wrapped up the three points with a composed finish after being played through on goal by Kylian Mbappe in the 83rd minute. Before Modric's wonderful strike, former Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek forced Real keeper Thibaut Courtois into a fine one-handed save after he latched on to Arnaut Danjuma's flick. In the second half, Lucas Vazquez had Gazzaniga desperately diving across his goal but his powerful strike drifted inches wide of the post. Danjuma missed a huge opportunity to level for the visitors when he was played through in the 56th minute but he curled the ball wide of Courtois' near post. Two minutes later, Vinicius collected the ball on the left, drifted into the centre and thundered a shot off the bar, before he sealed victory with his late strike. The Real faithful were happy to welcome back defender David Alaba - the Austrian started his first game in 434 days after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Up next for the European champions is a trip to San Sebastian on Wednesday when they take on Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey semi-finals. After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 23rd February 2025 at 18: 17 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Carlo Ancelotti Formation: 4 - 2 - 2 - 2 Manager: Míchel Sánchez Formation: 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 Manager: Carlo Ancelotti Formation: 4 - 2 - 2 - 2 Manager: Míchel Sánchez Formation: 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 Try our advanced match stats, including in-depth attacking and defensive stats Spanish La Liga All competitions All competitions All competitions Match ends, Real Madrid 2, Girona 0. Second Half ends, Real Madrid 2, Girona 0. Attempt saved. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Endrick. Attempt missed. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Dani Ceballos. Fourth official has announced 3 minutes of added time. Substitution, Real Madrid. Endrick replaces Vinícius Júnior. Attempt missed. Rodrygo (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Eduardo Camavinga. Corner, Girona. Conceded by Lucas Vázquez. Attempt blocked. Yáser Asprilla (Girona) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Substitution, Real Madrid. Antonio Rüdiger replaces Luka Modric. Corner, Girona. Conceded by Lucas Vázquez. Goal! Real Madrid 2, Girona 0. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Kylian Mbappé following a fast break. Attempt missed. Yáser Asprilla (Girona) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Bojan Miovski. Attempt missed. Rodrygo (Real Madrid) header from very close range misses to the right. Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Ladislav Krejcí. Attempt saved. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Luka Modric with a through ball. Rodrygo (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Daley Blind (Girona). Substitution, Girona. Bojan Miovski replaces Miguel Gutiérrez. Attempt missed. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Eduardo Camavinga with a through ball. Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.