Barcelona 2–1 Girona
After back-to-back defeats across all competitions, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona finally returned to winning ways — and in dramatic fashion.
With the score level and the clock ticking past 90 minutes, the match entered the third minute of stoppage time. From the right side of the box, Frenkie de Jong delivered a sharp cut-back, and Ronald Araujo slid in to send the ball into Girona’s net. The substitute defender tore off his shirt and sprinted in celebration as his teammates followed in a burst of pure joy. The entire Barcelona camp erupted as Flick’s men climbed back to the top of La Liga with a thrilling late win.
The reigning champions secured a 2–1 victory at home in the Olympic Stadium on Saturday.
Pedri had given Barcelona the lead in the first half with a brilliant finish, but Axel Witsel equalized for Girona through a stunning bicycle kick. Despite dominating the second half, Barça couldn’t find the breakthrough until Araujo — who came on in the 82nd minute — struck the winner deep into added time.
With this win, Barcelona ended their two-match losing streak and leapfrogged Real Madrid to reclaim the top spot in La Liga.
After nine matches, Barcelona now sit on 22 points from seven wins and one draw. Real Madrid, with 21 points and a game in hand, remain second. Xabi Alonso’s side can regain the lead if they beat Getafe on Sunday.
Barcelona completely dominated the game with 68% possession, taking 27 shots — nine of them on target. Girona managed 11 shots but only four were on target.
After a Champions League defeat to PSG and a La Liga loss to Sevilla before the international break, Barça were desperate for redemption. They started aggressively, creating chances as early as the third minute when Marcus Rashford’s strike was saved by the goalkeeper. A minute later, Lamine Yamal’s effort missed the target.
In the 13th minute, Pedri produced a moment of brilliance. Receiving a pass from Yamal on the right, he sidestepped a defender, carved out space, and drilled a low shot through a crowd of players to make it 1–0. The goalkeeper could do nothing but watch it roll in.
However, Barcelona’s joy didn’t last long. In the 20th minute, Girona equalized after a poorly cleared corner. Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel executed a superb overhead kick to find the net.
Girona then threatened twice more in quick succession, but Barça goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny made two fine saves to keep his team level.
In the 26th minute, de Jong’s shot was stopped by the Girona keeper, and two minutes later, Rashford’s curling free-kick rattled the crossbar.
Before halftime, Girona missed two golden chances to go ahead — Bryan Gil and Witsel both fired wide in one-on-one situations.
Barcelona kept pressing after the break. Fermín López had two efforts saved and another hit the post within ten minutes of the restart, while Yamal was denied once again by the keeper.
In the 61st minute, Pau Cubarsí appeared to score for Barcelona, but the goal was disallowed as Eric García was deemed to have fouled an opponent while leaping for the header.
Rashford forced two more saves shortly after, but as the game looked set for a draw, Araujo turned hero in the dying moments.
The Uruguayan’s match-winning strike sparked scenes of jubilation, though his shirtless celebration earned him a yellow card — a small price to pay for sealing a vital win.
Yet, amid the joy, there was one downside: Hansi Flick was shown a second yellow card for his angry reaction moments before Araujo’s goal. The German manager will now miss the dugout for the upcoming El Clásico against Real Madrid.
