A surgical Girona knocked down Barça. He left him on the canvas, limp and depressed. A forceful and accurate Girona climbed to the lead and took another blow on the table. Míchel’s team vibrates. Xavi cries, impotent and overcome by the virtues of a clairvoyant rival and by his own shortcomings. Barcelona wanted to tighten the lead in the championship but is seven points behind a leader that continues to amaze and five behind Madrid.
The Blaugrana are fourth, who showed their will but showed that they have less gunpowder than their rival. Quite the opposite of Girona, who taught because they are the highest scorers in the tournament and who won with goals from Dovbyk, Miguel Gutiérrez, Valery and Stuani. Lewandowski’s and, in added time, Gündogan’s were not enough for the Blaugrana. In a dizzying match, Barça was a disaster in defense and not very decisive in attack, despite scoring two goals. Girona continues to make history and for the first time beat the Blaugrana.
Xavi repeated the formula and the eleven from the match against Atlético. For the first time this season, the Barcelona coach cloned a lineup. He believed he had found the key. And the beginning of the meeting seemed to prove him right. Pedri took the lead and triangulated with Gündogan and De Jong. Raphinha penetrated like a dagger from the right and João Félix fantasized from the left. Touches, combinations and good intentions that gave continuity to the good minutes against the rojiblancos.
Meanwhile, Girona, very solid, held on without losing its composure and good writing. He waited for his moment and, when he got the ball, he created fire after fire in the Blaugrana defense. Barça played with the ball, Míchel’s team transmitted poison. Tsygankov was a beauty, Dovbyk a lethal weapon, Savio a goldsmith’s bishop. The game had no truce or chain and at any moment the first goal could fall.
He fell on the Girona side. Yan Couto shot deep, Christensen was unable to make the cut and Tsygankov enabled Dovbyk to open the scoring with overwhelming determination. The Ukrainian connection again. Again, pure magic from Girona.
Barça had faked, Montilivi’s team had hit. But, like on Porto day, Barcelona got up quickly. It was from a corner that Raphinha took and that Lewandowski headed over Eric Garcia and Iván Martín.
The tie gave new vigor to Xavi’s team but did not shake a Girona team with an impressive mentality. Yes, Barça had more ball in many phases but every time Míchel’s men crossed the midfield their deployment was brutal. Araújo asked for help from the center of the field but the waves surpassed the containment lines. Miguel Gutiérrez ran into a splendid handball from Iñaki Peña and later crossed another shot wide. In the other area Cancelo found himself with a deazzaniga stop after an artistic tuya-mía with João Félix. The match was a pleasure, from power to power, but, in this back and forth, Barça became disorganized and lost their way in the pressure. Miguel Gutiérrez took advantage of it to enter like Pedro through his house and score a great goal from the front without Pedri, De Jong or the defense managing to bother him.
The 1-2 score did hurt Barça, who were at the mercy of Girona until the interval, while Xavi became extremely angry and threw his coat against the bench. Lewandowski was able to equalize but, again, Gazzaniga avoided it.
Girona was in charge, watching the recovery of the lead and having many cards up its sleeve if it knew how to play with Barcelona’s anxiety.
The Barcelona team tried to react by raising their level of aggressiveness and surrounding the Girona goal. De Jong tried it. Also Gundogan. And, as always, Raphinha, if he had half as much finesse as willpower he would be unstoppable. But his faulty controls lead him down the street of bitterness.
Xavi did not see it at all clear and opted for a triple change while Míchel asked for calm. Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and Balde appeared, who was placed at center back. Defeat sent Barça into a hole in the League and they tried to avoid it at all costs. Gündogan almost equalized in the middle of the Blaugrana siege, but the team crashed due to its own lack of punch and Girona looked for oxygen with prolonged possessions that made the Montjuïc crowd desperate and tired Barcelona’s troubled legs. To try to put the finishing touch, Stuani, Portu and Valery entered. Xavi responded by turning to Fermín for a melted Pedri.
Barça was unraveling in the face of its own impotence and Girona believed they were going to decide through Valery. Gazzaniga sent a long ball, Stuani beat Araújo and Valery anticipated Koundé to beat Iñaki Peña.
There was excitement among the Girona fans and disappointment among the Barcelona fans, with some whistles included. Whistles that were played when Peña saved the fourth after an attack by Sávio. But what came was Gündogan’s goal in extra time. Lewandowski had the opportunity to tie at three but he forgave and Stuani, no, this time he did score the fourth.
Girona’s dream does not seem to have an end. Meanwhile, Barça is plunged into a nightmare.
