In the 9th round of La Liga, the Blaugranas claimed a vital three points at home against Girona. The first goal for Barcelona was scored by Pedri in the 12th minute, following a well-executed play. Girona equalized through Axel Witsel at the 19th minute of the first half, but Araújo found the net in the dying moments of the game, at the 47th minute of the second half, once again capitalizing on a strong team play.
Pedri excited the crowd with his opening goal at the 12-minute mark. The midfielder received a precise pass from Lamine Yamal and unleashed a powerful shot into the left corner from the edge of the area.
Pedri was undoubtedly the star of the match, contributing 1 goal, successfully completing 52 passes, making 3 tackles, and attempting 2 shots on goal.
Marc Casadó was another key performer for Barcelona, completing 63 effective passes and making 6 interceptions.
Under the tactical setup of coach Hans Flick, Barcelona lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Wojciech Szczesny in goal; Jules Koundé, Eric García, Pau Cubarsi, and Alejandro Balde in defense; Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, and Marc Casadó in midfield; and Lamine Yamal, Toni Fernández, and Marcus Rashford leading the attack.
On the other hand, Girona, managed by Miguel Sánchez Muñoz, adopted a 4-4-2 formation, featuring Paulo Gazzaniga as the goalkeeper; Hugo Rincón, Vitor Reis, Daley Blind, and Álex Moreno in defense; Bryan Gil, Arnau Martinez, Axel Witsel, and Joel Roca in the midfield; and Portu and Vladyslav Vanat up front.
The match was officiated by referee Jesús Gil Manzano.
Looking ahead, Barcelona will face Real Madrid in their next fixture, while Girona will host Real Oviedo at the Municipal de Montilivi stadium. This upcoming Clásico promises to be a special encounter for the fans as Barcelona faces their historic rival.
With this victory, Barcelona remains atop the league standings with 22 points, while Girona slips to 19th place with just 6 points.
Substitutions for Barcelona
45’ 2T – Toni Fernández off for Fermín López
63’ 2T – Lamine Yamal off for Roony Bardghji
75’ 2T – Alejandro Balde off for Gerard Martín
80’ 2T – Marc Casadó off for Ronald Araújo
Yellow Cards for Barcelona:
46’ 2T – Hans Flick (Unsporting Behavior) and 48’ 2T – Ronald Araújo (Removing his shirt)
Red Card for Barcelona:
46’ 2T – Hans Flick (Second yellow card)
Substitutions for Girona
62’ 2T – Bryan Gil off for Jhon Solis, Portu off for Viktor Tsygankov and Pedri off for Andreas Christensen
67’ 2T – Joel Roca off for Yáser Asprilla
68’ 2T – Vladyslav Vanat off for Cristhian Stuani
79’ 2T – Arnau Martinez off for Lass Kourouma
Yellow Cards for Girona:
29’ 2T – Cristhian Stuani (Repeated Fouls) and 39’ 2T – Álex Moreno (Repeated Fouls)