Girona 2-1 Barcelona: Lamine Yamal misses penalty as Girona stun Barca in Catalan derby
Girona pulled off a seismic upset at Estadio Montilivi as Fran Beltran's late strike secured a 2-1 win over Barcelona, who squandered a first-half penalty from Lamine Yamal. The defeat leaves Barcelona behind Real Madrid in a tightening title race and hands Girona a morale-boosting result that eases their relegation worries.
Match turning points
The contest was edgy from the first whistle, with the hosts taking the game to the league leaders and forcing an early save. Barcelona, by contrast, looked blunt in the final third despite several gilt-edged openings. Raphinha dragged an early chance wide and Yamal was twice guilty of missing from close range before the big moment at the end of the first half.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, a penalty was awarded for a foul on Dani Olmo. Yamal stepped up but smashed his effort off the base of the upright, keeping the score level at the break. The miss proved costly: on 59 minutes Barcelona finally broke the deadlock when centre-back Pau Cubarsi rose to meet Jules Kounde's cross and looped a sublime header into the top corner for his first league goal in Barcelona colours.
Girona responded instantly. Two minutes later Thomas Lemar bundled in Vladyslav Vanat's cross to make it 1-1, the Yugoslav forcefulness and tempo of the hosts suddenly transforming the game. Ten minutes after that Girona thought they had taken the lead through a speculative header that forced a scramble on the goalline; there was contact and a tussle in the box, but play continued.
The decisive moment arrived in the 86th minute when substitute Fran Beltran struck to put Girona ahead. There was a brief VAR check into the build-up, with Barcelona convinced Jules Kounde had been fouled, but the goal was ultimately allowed to stand. Tempers flared and the visitors' appeals were in vain.
Late stoppage-time drama followed as Girona were reduced to 10 men when substitute Joel Roca received a red card for a lunging challenge on Yamal. Barcelona pushed for an equaliser but could not find a leveller; a late effort that looked to have been tapped home was disallowed for offside, sealing Girona's victory.
Aftermath and implications
The result ends a three-game winless run for Girona and lifts them to 12th place, five points clear of the relegation zone. For Barcelona, it is a damaging second defeat in succession — they had been thrashed 4-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final earlier in the week — and their title charge is far from comfortable.
Barcelona now trail their arch rivals by two points at the top of the table. The Real Madrid fixture that follows could stretch that gap further: Real Madrid travel to Osasuna on Saturday at 12: 30 PM ET, and a win there would open a potential five-point cushion before Barcelona return to league action hosting Levante on Sunday at 10: 15 AM ET.
Managerial frustrations were visible on Barcelona's bench as a string of missed chances and a crucial penalty miss proved decisive. Girona will take confidence from their intensity and resilience at Montilivi, while Barcelona must regroup quickly if they are to stay in the title conversation and arrest a slip in form at a critical stage of the season.
