Girona 2-1 Barcelona: Lemar and Beltrán stifle frustrated Barça at Estadi Montilivi | OneFootball

Pau Cubarsí’s second-half header at the Estadi Montilivi was not enough to see Barcelona return to the top of the LaLiga table, as the blaugrana fell to a dramatic 2-1 defeat against an impressive Girona side.

There were chances aplenty for either side throughout the first half of a tantalising Catalan derby, with Barça notably squandering an opportunity to take the lead before the break when Lamine Yamal rattled the post from the penalty spot.

Pau Cubarsí struck gold just before the hour mark with a header that provisionally returned Barça to the top of the LaLiga table, but the visitors’ lead lasted all of two minutes before Thomas Lemar pounced on an open goal for his second goal in as many weeks.

Fran Beltrán rifled home the winning goal from the edge of the box inside the final five minutes to further rub salt into Barcelona’s wounds, with Hansi Flick left confused by VAR’s decision not to overturn the goal after an apparent foul on Jules Koundé.

As it happened

Needing three points to return to the top of the LaLiga table following Real Madrid’s dominant win against Real Sociedad, Barça started well at the Estadi Montilivi and came within inches of an early lead as Lamine Yamal curled just wide of the far post.

Raphinha, returning to the starting lineup after having worked through a groin issue, also drilled a promising effort wide of the target just seconds before Yamal forced a close-range save from Paulo Gazzaniga following a blistering run on the right flank.

But Girona – who had “analysed the best way to win,” according to head coach Míchel – created opportunities of their own as the half progressed and called Joan García into action to deny Vladyslav Vanat’s low strike after a great period of buildup play.

The blanquivermelles tested the Barça shotstopper again just before the half-hour mark when ex-Tottenham forward Bryan Gil teed up Vanat inside the area, although García watched on with relief a few moments later when Gil’s cross from the left flank evaded the Ukrainian forward.

Barcelona came remarkably close to taking the lead before the break but were left in disbelief after striking the woodwork twice in quick succession.

Raphinha’s effort from inside the box rattled the base of the right post, before Yamal also struck the frame of the goal from the penalty spot after seeing

Hansi Flick’s side sought with desperation to claim the lead before the break and came remarkably close to doing so, striking the post twice in a matter of minutes through a Raphinha effort from inside the box with Yamal also striking the frame of the goal after seeing Dani Olmo felled by Daley Blind inside the area.

But Barcelona began to make their pressure tell in the second half, and roared into the lead just before the hour mark as Pau Cubarsí – who sparked VAR controversy in midweek with a disallowed goal in the Copa del Rey – rose highest in the box to nod home a Jules Koundé cross from 12 yards out.

The defender’s celebrations were muted, and perhaps for good reason, as the blaugrana could only hold onto that lead for two minutes. Having ended an almost three-year drought last weekend, Thomas Lemar netted his second goal in as many games, capitalising on shoddy defending to turn Vanat’s cross into an open net.

Monday’s hosts – evidently buoyed by their rapid response to conceding – pushed in search of another goal and thought they’d found it when Joel Roca nodded home after a scrappy passage of play that could have quite easily seen Iván Martin or Vanat ripple the net, but the substitute’s effort was chalked off for a foul on the goalkeeper.

The blaugrana, knowing that only a win would be enough to see them rise above Real Madrid once again in the league table, fought valiantly inside the final ten minutes and saw Yamal whip just wide of the far post – but the decisive drama would take place at the other end of the pitch.

Fran Beltrán arrived on the edge of the box to drive a fierce effort into the bottom corner, handing Girona the lead for the first time and while Koundé appeared to be trodden on in the buildup, another controversial VAR intervention ruled that the goal should stand, leaving Flick incensed once again.

Barça thought they’d rescued a late equaliser in stoppage time when Fermín López whipped in a curled effort from range, although the goal was overturned by the on-field referee after an offside Robert Lewandowski was rightly deemed to have interfered with play.

Still, there was further late drama that saw Joel Roca shown a straight red card after hacking down Yamal in midfield as the talented forward surged forward in the dying seconds of a lively Catalan derby.