February 17, (THEWILL) — Barcelona suffered a damaging 2-1 defeat to 10-man Girona on Monday evening, missing the opportunity to reclaim top spot in LaLiga. Fran Beltran’s 86th-minute strike proved decisive for the hosts, dealing a significant blow to Hansi Flick’s title ambitions.
The visitors spurned a golden chance to break the deadlock in first-half stoppage time when Lamine Yamal struck the right post from the penalty spot after Dani Olmo had been brought down by Daley Blind. Barcelona eventually took the lead in the 59th minute through Pau Cubarsi, who headed home from Jules Kounde’s cross, but their advantage lasted just 120 seconds before Thomas Lemar equalised from close range following Vladyslav Vanat’s assist.
Girona goalkeeper, Paulo Gazzaniga, and Barcelona’s Joan Garcia both made crucial saves to keep the score level, with Garcia denying Ivan Martin and Joel Roca in quick succession. The turning point arrived four minutes from time when Beltran found the bottom-left corner, though Barcelona protested that Kounde had been fouled by Claudio Echeverri in the build-up before VAR upheld the goal.
Ronald Araujo came close to salvaging a point in stoppage time but could not convert, whilst Roca received a straight red card for a poor challenge on Yamal. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Girona held firm to claim all three points.
The defeat leaves Barcelona two points adrift of Real Madrid in the title race, with Flick’s side now facing increased pressure in their pursuit of the championship.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
