Girona humiliates Barça and makes them lose the lead

GironaBarça lost their lead at Montilivi on a disastrous night (2-1), a continuation of the thrashing they suffered in the Copa del Rey against Atlético. Outplayed by a Girona side that never lost faith, they clung to Joan Garcia to hold onto the advantage given to them by Cubarsí's goal. But they hadn't counted on Girona's tenacity, who came back with goals from Lemar and Fran Beltrán, the latter in the dying moments. Girona will not soon forget a day that will go down in history.

Girona proved a thorn in Barça's side from the outset. In the battle of managers, Míchel emerged as the clear winner, orchestrating a frenetic match that surprised Hansi Flick. In the first leg, Girona had already given Barça a run for their money at Montjuïc, only succumbing in the final moments with Ronald Araujo's last-gasp goal. Yesterday at Montilivi, the melody belonged to the red and white.

Anything could have happened in a derby where frenetic pace was forbidden. Ferran Torres could have been caught out of position inside the box, or Vanat could have failed to launch a swift counter-attack. The ball moved from one side to the other, with no time to breathe. Lamine Yamal made a mistake, and a few seconds later, Bryan Gil did the same. Raphinha put his hands to his head, and so did Montilivi, after a run from box to box by Brazilian Vitor Reis, similar, were it not for the nationality, to Maradona's famous run in the World Cup.

Barça, emotionally shaken after the thrashing at the Metropolitano, felt overwhelmed for much of the match, with Flick's men waving their arms and asking each other for explanations. Girona dominated. Above all, thanks to Gil's persistence. No one can fault him for not trying, on the wing. He was a nightmare for Koundé, who repeatedly called on Cubarsí to help him out. Such is football that the two of them would create the goal for the only Girona player in the starting lineup, Cubarsí, who finished off a cross from the Frenchman just before the hour mark.

Before that, however, they had suffered terribly trying to stop Bryan, who served up several easy chances to Vanat, who failed to capitalize on any of them. Joan Garcia's save was prodigious when the Ukrainian was point-blank and the entire stadium was on its feet, about to embrace each other. The man from Sallent responded to a Gazzaniga who had earlier spat out a barrage of shots from Lamine Yamal, who was unusually unfocused and erratic.

Arnau Martínez headed the Rocafonda native, frustrated by his tight marking. If he tried to go to the left, Arnau would steal his space; if he tried to go to the other side, Arnau would take that too. It was the great battle of the night. Lamine couldn't be decisive, not even with a penalty. He hit the woodwork, right on the threshold of halftime. It was the second time Barça had struck the post, as Raphinha had already tested it.

Joan Garcia postpones the inevitable

The adrenaline hadn't yet reached its peak. The derby didn't disappoint after the restart either, with two goals in two minutes. Girona reacted well to Cubarsí's goal, with a well-worked team move that finally paid off, thanks to Lemar. The Girona players weren't about to give up, and they would end up dreaming of Joan Garcia, so Barça kept postponing the inevitable. Ter Stegen's successor at the Camp Nou thwarted a double chance for Vanat and Tsygankov and a third for Joel Roca, who was eventually sent off, defending the victory with all his might in stoppage time.

Few goalkeepers in the world seem to have a brighter future, if any. But Joan Garcia can't do it all alone. Girona's magic moment was still to come, a team that had spent the entire season suffering and deserved a night like this. It was the 86th minute when the ball hung in the air at the edge of the box and Fran Beltrán placed it perfectly inside the right corner, leaving Joan Garcia rooted to the spot. Barça appealed for a foul, but the goal was a well-deserved reward for Girona's hard work, as they gradually climbed out of the relegation zone. Barça, meanwhile, were left with a narrow escape.