Girona 2-1 Barcelona: Lamine Yamal misses penalty as late Fran Beltrán strike stuns Barca at Montilivi
Last updated February 16, 2026 at 4: 58 PM ET. Barcelona's bid to reclaim the top of LaLiga faltered as Girona produced a dramatic 2-1 victory at Estadio Montilivi. A nervy night for the visitors was defined by Lamine Yamal's missed penalty and Fran Beltrán's late winner, awarded after a brief video assistant referee check.
Penalty miss, early jitters and a swift Girona response
The match began in frenetic fashion with Girona taking the game to the LaLiga leaders from the first whistle. Barcelona created gilt-edged chances but failed to convert; winger Lamine Yamal in particular was profligate inside the box, twice failing to finish from close range before smashing a first-half penalty off the base of the post in stoppage time.
That miss proved pivotal. Barcelona eventually broke the deadlock early in the second half when centre-back Pau Cubarsí rose to head home from Jules Koundé's cross, his first league goal in Barcelona colours. The visitors' joy was short-lived: Girona hit back almost immediately. Thomas Lemar reacted quickest to Vladyslav Vanat's delivery and tapped home to level the score, sparking wild scenes and shifting momentum decisively toward the home side.
Late drama, a VAR check and a costly red card
As the match approached its climax, both sides traded chances. Girona's pressure paid off in the 86th minute when substitute Fran Beltrán curled a finish past the keeper to complete the turnaround. Barcelona protested a foul in the build-up and the situation underwent a brief VAR review, but the goal stood.
Tempers flared in stoppage time when substitute Joel Roca lunged through a challenge on Lamine Yamal and was shown red, reducing Girona to 10 men. The dismissal came too late to alter the result; Barcelona could not fashion a late equaliser and left Montilivi stunned.
Consequences for the title race and Barcelona's form
The defeat ends a three-game winning streak in the league for Barcelona and means they now trail the summit by two points. The loss compounds a difficult few days for the visitors, who had been thumped 4-0 in the first leg of their domestic cup semi-final earlier in the week. Manager Hansi Flick admitted his side were not at their best, bemoaning defensive lapses, poor transition defending and a lack of control in midfield. He insisted he would not use officiating decisions as an excuse and stressed the need for rest and refocus ahead of a busy spell in the calendar.
For Girona the victory is a vital boost. It ends a three-game winless run, lifts them away from immediate relegation danger and injects confidence into a squad that showed grit and composure against one of the league's traditional heavyweights. The hosts' work-rate and willingness to press Barcelona in their own half were decisive ingredients in the upset.
Barcelona now face a crucial stretch in the coming fixtures with the gap at the top ripe to widen should their rivals pick up points. Manager and players must regroup quickly; the margin for error is shrinking as the LaLiga run-in intensifies.
