FOn matchday 9 of La Liga, Barcelona hosted Girona at Montjuïc. The game ended in a disappointing comeback for the home team. Pedri took the lead, Witsel leveled the score at one point, and almost at the last minute Ronald Araujo gave his team three points.
A depleted Barcelona running at half throttle
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Despite significant casualties for Hansi Flick’s side, Barcelona tried to show their authority by taking the game to their opponents. In the 13th minute, Lamine Yamal passed the ball to Pedri, who entered the area, overlapped his rivals and fired a low shot, but it slipped into the goal guarded by Gazzaniga.
Girona took the blow well and did not give up. They were looking for an equalizer, and as the clock struck 20 minutes, Arnau Martinez headed home inside the area, and an inspired Axel Witsel connected with a bicycle kick to beat Szczesny and level the score.
From then on, the game was a close end-to-end affair, with neither team converting into a clear scoring opportunity, and the first 45 minutes ended with two goals, one for each team.
Chess match between Barcelona and Girona
In the second half, both coaches moved the pieces in their favor, but the game was very close. In the final minutes of the game, in the 90+3 minute, the much-criticized Araujo appeared on the scene, playing as a forward and scoring the winning goal.
Hansi Flick received a second yellow card in the final minutes of the match and was sent off, meaning he will miss the next game against Xabi Alonso’s side in the derby.
On the other hand, Girona are disappointed with this result and are in 19th place in the table, falling into the relegation zone.
With this victory, Barcelona temporarily retain their top spot until the result of Real Madrid vs. Getafe.
