Barcelona hit by setback in title race after Girona derby loss
La Liga title holders Barcelona endured a costly 2-1 loss to Girona on Monday, which has left them two points behind Real Madrid at the summit of the standings.
Real Madrid secured a victory over Real Sociedad on Saturday to move ahead of the Catalan club, and Hansi Flick's team failed to overcome Girona in an intense local rivalry match to regain top spot.
Young sensation Lamine Yamal squandered a penalty for Barcelona, who went ahead courtesy of a goal from centre-back Pau Cubarsi shortly before the hour.
Yet strikes by Thomas Lemar and Fran Beltran enabled Girona, sitting 12th in the table, to stage a strong recovery.
"Ultimately, Girona earned the win, they created numerous opportunities, while our defending was poor," conceded Flick.
"The mood in the camp is low, we're not at our best, so I granted the squad two days off to help them regroup.
"The season is far from over, we're in second place now, and we must battle to climb back to the top."
Barcelona were still recovering from a 4-0 thrashing by Atletico Madrid in last week's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, and this result compounded their difficulties.
"We need to get better, as we cannot concede goals like that," Cubarsi shared with DAZN.
"Self-reflection is key, we underperformed today, improvement is essential, but for now, rest and recharge are priorities."
The match featured end-to-end action in the opening 45 minutes, making it surprising that no goals were scored before half-time.
Raphinha curled an effort just past the post, and Yamal shot directly at Girona's keeper Paulo Gazzaniga after breaking clear.
Girona's Ukrainian forward Vladyslav Vanat wasted several decent chances at the opposite end.
Ferran Torres missed a promising opportunity for Barcelona, and Raphinha struck the woodwork as Flick's players pressed forward.
A penalty seemed certain when Dani Olmo was tripped by Daley Blind inside the penalty area, but Yamal's kick rebounded off the upright.
Barcelona finally broke the deadlock with a header from Pau Cubarsi off a Jules Kounde delivery in the 59th minute, though Girona responded quickly.
Thomas Lemar evaded Eric Garcia and finished Vanat's assist from near range to equalise.
This changed the flow towards Girona, forcing Barcelona to depend on outstanding stops from their goalkeeper Joan Garcia to stay in contention.
García produced an excellent double save to block Ivan Martin and Vanat, then used his foot to deny Joel Roca.
Disputed decisive goal
Barcelona could not hold firm, and Girona took the lead in the 87th minute as Fran Beltran calmly slotted in from outside the box.
The away side, fresh from lodging a formal grievance with the Spanish football authorities regarding refereeing issues last week, were enraged after Claudio Echeverri fouled Kounde in the sequence leading to the goal without consequence.
"To me, it looked like a foul on Kounde, but we ought not to dwell on rulings beyond our influence," remarked Barcelona's Gerard Martin.
Flick noted that "everybody noticed" the incident and deemed it a "obvious" infringement, yet he refrained from excessive protest, emphasising Barcelona's own shortcomings.
"I might discuss it if our performance was strong, but it was not, making it seem like an alibi to moan," Flick explained.
"The match officials carry out their duties, occasionally subpar, but their standard matched ours today, so perhaps it was not top quality."
Girona finished with nine men after Roca lunged at Yamal, halting a late Barcelona surge in added time.
This secured the points, allowing the home team to rejoice with their ecstatic supporters at Montilivi, while Flick sought clarifications from the referee.
"Beating Barcelona yields more than just three points, they usually dominate most opponents," commented delighted Girona manager Michel Sanchez.