Barcelona lose to Girona 2-1 after Lamine Yamal’s penalty miss

Estadi Montilivi witnessed a dramatic twist in the La Liga title race as Girona fought back to defeat Barcelona 2-1, capitalising on a pivotal missed penalty by 16-year-old winger Lamine Yamal. The result leaves the reigning champions two points adrift of leaders Real Madrid and intensifies scrutiny on coach Hansi Flick after a second defeat in five days.

Yamal, entrusted with the spot-kick on the stroke of half-time, saw his effort crash against the upright, preserving the deadlock and denying Barcelona the chance to seize the summit before the interval. The visitors nevertheless broke through in the 59th minute when centre-back Pau Cubarsi rose highest to meet Jules Koundé’s precise right-wing cross and angle a header beyond Paulo Gazzaniga for his first goal of the campaign. The strike also nudged Barcelona to the 100-goal mark across all competitions this season, making them only the second side in Europe’s big-five leagues to reach the milestone after Bayern Munich.

Girona responded almost immediately. Three minutes after falling behind, the hosts levelled through Thomas Lemar, who side-footed home from close range after Vladyslav Vanat had tormented the Blaugrana back line down the left. The momentum shifted decisively in the 87th minute when substitute Fran Beltran collected possession just inside the area and drilled a low shot past Joan Garcia to complete the turnaround.

Barcelona pressed frantically for an equaliser, but Girona held firm even after Joel Roca received a late red card for a second caution. The victory ended a three-match winless run for Míchel’s side and propels them three places up the table to 12th, level on points with Getafe. Meanwhile, only seven points now separate the 11 clubs stationed between eighth and 18th, underscoring the congested mid-table landscape.

For Flick, the defeat compounds the misery of last week’s 4-0 Copa del Rey humiliation at the hands of Atlético Madrid and raises urgent questions about Barcelona’s defensive resilience as the title chase intensifies.