BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Substitute Ronald Araújo snatched a dramatic 2-1 victory for Barcelona over Girona in stoppage time during La Liga action on Saturday, ending a mini losing streak ahead of next week’s highly anticipated Clasico against Real Madrid.
The central defender transformed into a striker in the dying moments, expertly sliding in front of his marker as they raced to the near post. Araújo skillfully redirected a low pass from Frenkie de Jong, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
Araújo’s last-gasp goal came shortly after Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was sent off following two quick yellow cards, reportedly for complaining that the referee had not added more than four minutes of injury time. As a result, Flick will miss the first Clasico of the season on the sidelines.
Before the international break, Barcelona suffered setbacks with a 2-1 loss against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and a surprising 4-1 defeat at Sevilla in La Liga.
Earlier in the match, Pedri González gave Barcelona the lead in the 13th minute with an exquisite finish—sliding an angled ball back across the area and inside the near post without even looking at the target.
However, Barcelona’s control soon began to falter. Seven minutes later, Axel Witsel equalized for Girona with a stunning acrobatic bicycle kick, whipping a loose high ball off the turf and past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny.
Despite Girona’s repeated counterattacks after Barcelona lost possession, only Szczęsny’s saves and some poor finishing from the visitors prevented Girona from taking the lead before halftime.
In the second half, Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga denied shots from Fermín López and Marcus Rashford, but ultimately could not stop Araújo from clinching the victory for Barcelona.
Barcelona faced the match missing key players due to injury, including strikers Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, as well as playmaker Dani Olmo. In response, coach Hansi Flick handed a La Liga debut to 17-year-old forward Toni Fernández, who was substituted for Fermín at halftime.
With this hard-fought win, Barcelona moved into the top spot in the league, holding a one-point advantage over Real Madrid ahead of their next game against Getafe on Sunday.
___
AP Soccer
https://wtop.com/sports/2025/10/barcelona-beats-girona-in-stoppage-time-and-flick-to-miss-clasico-after-sending-off/
