After a tough 4–2 loss to Girona at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium on Sunday night, Barcelona will end the weekend in fourth place in La Liga. They are now seven points behind the leaders. Both teams had a lot of chances in the first hour of the game, but Girona ultimately won because they dominated the last 30 minutes. They made a statement about their title chances by convincingly winning a Catalan derby on the road, and they will end Matchday 16 in first place, two points ahead of second.

THE FIRST HALF

The first 45 minutes were as exciting and crazy as it gets. Both teams did a great job with the ball but were very risky when they had it, which made the other team’s defense very weak. Throughout the half, both teams had a lot of chances to score. The game was played at a really crazy speed, and there weren’t many breaks.

Barcelona had the better start and should have been ahead within the first 10 minutes, but a mistake in the middle of the field let Girona come back and score when Viktor Tsigankov set up Artem Dovbyk for an easy tap-in. Quickly, Barcelona scored when Raphinha’s great corner kick found Robert Lewandowski in the box. The striker headed the ball home to tie the game.

The next 20 minutes were crazy, with both teams swapping blows and giving the other team a lot of chances. Many times, both sets of goalkeepers and center backs had to make last-ditch saves. It was amazing that neither team scored any more goals as halftime came.

Five minutes before halftime, there was a huge moment in the game: Girona made a series of beautiful passes through the middle, and the ball found Miguel Gutiérrez in a great spot. The left back then hit a beautiful shot into the top corner to give the away team their second lead of the night.

Barça came close to tying the score again, but Paulo Gazzaniga made another great save against Lewandowski. The 45 minutes before break were some of the most exciting in any European football match this season. Could Barcelona make a comeback? Would Girona keep attacking, or would they try to keep their lead? Was the second half going to be just as crazy as the first?

THE SECOND HALF

Both teams’ players wouldn’t have been able to keep up the same speed from the first half, so the game slowed down a bit in the first few minutes of the second.

In the first 15 to 20 minutes, Girona tried to defend deeper to protect their lead before opening up again. This worked because Barça never had a real chance and the guests were still a threat when they attacked.

Slowly but surely, Girona started to take chances again. They sent players forward and used good passing and movement to find holes in the Barcelona defense. Even though Xavi Hernández made three substitutions in the last 20 minutes, they were still the better team. Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal, and Alejandro Balde all came on but didn’t make a difference in the game.

With 10 minutes left, the game was over. Gazzaniga sent in a long ball, which Cristhian Stuani won with a shot. Valery Fernández got to the ball before Jules Kounde and sent it into the bottom corner to double Girona’s lead and pretty much seal the deal.

As expected, Barcelona sent everyone forward in a last-ditch effort to tie the game. Ilkay Gündogan scored deep into extra time, giving Barcelona some hope of a very late equalizer. When Yamal sent in a perfect cross, it was all up to Lewandowski to head it home. But the ball hit the Pole’s shoulder instead, and Barcelona’s best scorer missed their best chance to do a miracle.

And finally, there was no way back when a fourth goal from Girona ended all dreams. Sávio’s cross found Stuani all by himself at the far post, and the substitute scored to seal the win for Girona.

After a rough night, the final whistle ended a good hour of play for Barcelona, who had enough chances to score more than one goal in the first half. Their defense was terrible, though, and Girona showed that they can score against anyone, anywhere.

This year, Barcelona will have to do something amazing to win La Liga. Girona is a real team.

Barcelona: Peña plays for Barcelona. He starts with Kounde, then Araujo, Christensen (Balde 65′), Cancelo, Pedri (Fermín 80′), De Jong, Gündogan, Raphinha (Yamal 65′), Lewandowski, and Félix (Ferran 65′).

Lewandowski scored in the 19th minute, and Gündogan scored in the 90+2nd minute.

Girona: The Girona defense is made up of Gazzaniga, Eric, López, Blind, Gutiérrez, Martín (Solis 87′), Aleix, Couto (Valery 78′), Tsigankov (Portu 78′), Sávio, and Dovbyk (Stuani 73′).

First goal by Dovbyk (12′), then by Gutiérrez (40′), Valery (80′), and Stuani (90+5′).