diff --git a/dir.c b/dir.c
index 94489298f4..5aa6fbad0b 100644
--- a/dir.c
+++ b/dir.c
@@ -1303,44 +1303,6 @@ int match_pathname(const char *pathname, int pathlen,
 				 WM_PATHNAME) == 0;
 }
 
-static int path_matches_dir_pattern(const char *pathname,
-				    int pathlen,
-				    struct strbuf **path_parent,
-				    int *dtype,
-				    struct path_pattern *pattern,
-				    struct index_state *istate)
-{
-	if (!*path_parent) {
-		char *slash;
-		CALLOC_ARRAY(*path_parent, 1);
-		strbuf_add(*path_parent, pathname, pathlen);
-		slash = find_last_dir_sep((*path_parent)->buf);
-
-		if (slash)
-			strbuf_setlen(*path_parent, slash - (*path_parent)->buf);
-		else
-			strbuf_setlen(*path_parent, 0);
-	}
-
-	/*
-	 * If the parent directory matches the pattern, then we do not
-	 * need to check for dtype.
-	 */
-	if ((*path_parent)->len &&
-	    match_pathname((*path_parent)->buf, (*path_parent)->len,
-			   pattern->base,
-			   pattern->baselen ? pattern->baselen - 1 : 0,
-			   pattern->pattern, pattern->nowildcardlen,
-			   pattern->patternlen, pattern->flags))
-		return 1;
-
-	*dtype = resolve_dtype(*dtype, istate, pathname, pathlen);
-	if (*dtype != DT_DIR)
-		return 0;
-
-	return 1;
-}
-
 /*
  * Scan the given exclude list in reverse to see whether pathname
  * should be ignored.  The first match (i.e. the last on the list), if
@@ -1356,7 +1318,6 @@ static struct path_pattern *last_matching_pattern_from_list(const char *pathname
 {
 	struct path_pattern *res = NULL; /* undecided */
 	int i;
-	struct strbuf *path_parent = NULL;
 
 	if (!pl->nr)
 		return NULL;	/* undefined */
@@ -1366,10 +1327,11 @@ static struct path_pattern *last_matching_pattern_from_list(const char *pathname
 		const char *exclude = pattern->pattern;
 		int prefix = pattern->nowildcardlen;
 
-		if (pattern->flags & PATTERN_FLAG_MUSTBEDIR &&
-		    !path_matches_dir_pattern(pathname, pathlen, &path_parent,
-					      dtype, pattern, istate))
-			continue;
+		if (pattern->flags & PATTERN_FLAG_MUSTBEDIR) {
+			*dtype = resolve_dtype(*dtype, istate, pathname, pathlen);
+			if (*dtype != DT_DIR)
+				continue;
+		}
 
 		if (pattern->flags & PATTERN_FLAG_NODIR) {
 			if (match_basename(basename,
@@ -1393,12 +1355,6 @@ static struct path_pattern *last_matching_pattern_from_list(const char *pathname
 			break;
 		}
 	}
-
-	if (path_parent) {
-		strbuf_release(path_parent);
-		free(path_parent);
-	}
-
 	return res;
 }
 
diff --git a/t/t0008-ignores.sh b/t/t0008-ignores.sh
index 1889cfc60e..42d2314804 100755
--- a/t/t0008-ignores.sh
+++ b/t/t0008-ignores.sh
@@ -829,6 +829,23 @@ test_expect_success 'exact prefix matching (without root)' '
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'directories and ** matches' '
+	cat >.gitignore <<-\EOF &&
+	data/**
+	!data/**/
+	!data/**/*.txt
+	EOF
+	git check-ignore file \
+		data/file data/data1/file1 data/data1/file1.txt \
+		data/data2/file2 data/data2/file2.txt >actual &&
+	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
+	data/file
+	data/data1/file1
+	data/data2/file2
+	EOF
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 ############################################################################
 #
 # test whitespace handling