GIRONA, Spain: Girona roared back to stun Barcelona 2-1 at home in a breathless Catalan derby on Monday, as last season’s champions failed to reclaim the LaLiga summit and left Real Madrid top of the table.
Barcelona struck the woodwork twice in the first half, with Raphinha hitting the post before Lamine Yamal fired a penalty against the same upright in added time after Dani Olmo was fouled inside the box.
Pau Cubarsi finally put the visitors ahead in the 59th minute, rising to head home Jules Kounde’s cross from a short corner. Girona levelled three minutes later when Thomas Lemar converted from close range after Vladyslav Vanat’s cross caused confusion in the area.
Fran Beltran sealed the victory in the 87th minute, steering home Joel Roca’s pass as the Montilivi erupted. Barcelona pushed for an equaliser but could not break through, even after Roca was sent off in added time for a reckless foul on Yamal.
Barcelona remain on 58 points, two behind Real Madrid, and have lost successive matches in all competitions for the first time since October.“We lacked a bit of everything. We need to be self-critical. We need to improve things and get our act together,” Cubarsi told DAZN.
“After my goal, they scored very quickly to equalise. We got them back into the game too quickly. We need to improve on those goals they score right after we take the lead. Keep your head down and improve.”
