Reigning Spanish champions Barcelona welcomed local rivals Girona to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys for their La Liga Matchday 16 clash on Sunday night (December 10). Having beaten Atletico Madrid on the previous Matchday, Xavi’s side fancied themselves to get another positive result against the then-second-placed team in the La Liga standings. However, Michel’s Girona handed them a rude wake-up call in their backyard.
Ilkay Gundogan’s Late Strike Not Enough To Save Barcelona
It took Girona only six minutes to test Barcelona goalkeeper Inaki Pena. Attacking midfielder Viktor Tsigankov got on the end of a blistering counter-attack on the edge of the box. He, however, could not strike the ball as well as expected, leading to a simple enough stop for the Barca keeper. Six minutes later, Girona orchestrated another attack, and this time, they got the goal they were looking for.
Tsigankov attacked the space the Blaugrana left behind before setting up Artem Dovbyk with a perfectly weighted pass. Dovbyk’s first-time effort banged against the inside of the post before going inside. To their credit, Barcelona responded well to going behind, with Robert Lewandowski equalizing from an exceptional corner-kick delivery from Raphinha.
Instead of pushing for the go-ahead goal, the La Liga holders seemingly took their foot off the pedal, which allowed Girona to come back with a bang. In the 40th minute, Ivan Martin played the ball out wide to full-back Miguel Gutierrez. The Spaniard beat Jules Kounde with a drop of his shoulder before cutting inside the area and curling the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net.
Girona mean business 💪 pic.twitter.com/JbZDIF7Twj
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 10, 2023
In the 80th minute, Valery Fernandez doubled Girona’s lead. Only two minutes after coming on, the attacker got on the end of Cristhian Stuani’s headed pass and steered it beyond Pena. In the second minute of injury time, Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan gave his team a lifeline. Receiving the ball from Ferran Torres, the German outsmarted Eric Garcia before thumping the ball past Paulo Gazzaniga.
Barca had four minutes to get something out of the game but failed to keep the pressure on. A couple of minutes after Lewandowski misplaced his header, an unmarked Stuani scored the insurance goal for Girona, taking the ball beyond Pena with a cushioned header.
Girona Are A Serious La Liga Contender This Season
On paper, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid are easily the three strongest teams in La Liga. More often than not, these three vie for the league title, but this year, there is a new challenger in town. While we have not yet entered the business end of the season, signs have been very promising for Michel’s team. They have been the most flamboyant team in the division, scoring a league-best 38 goals, and have a decent defensive record as well (20 goals conceded). They have proven they can scrape out results and shown how to take the fight to the big boys, which is the perfect recipe for success.
After 16 games, Girona sit at the summit of La Liga with 41 points, a couple of points clear of the most successful team in Spain, Real Madrid. If they can keep securing such big results and steer clear of big injuries, it will not be surprising to see Girona turn up the head on Madrid and Co. in the final weeks of the 2023-24 La Liga season.
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