BARCELONA: High-flying Girona reclaimed top spot in La Liga after beating champions Barcelona 4-2 away on Sunday, condemning Xavi Hernandez’s side to their second league defeat of the season, with coach Michel saying he believes his team can beat any opponent.
Girona, who remain unbeaten away from home this season, defeated their Catalan rivals for the first time ever in the top flight in a pulsating battle to top the standings with 41 points from 16 games, having leapfrogged Real Madrid on 39 points.
Barca, whose only previous defeat this season was to Real at the end of October, are fourth on 34 points, level with third-placed Atletico Madrid who beat Almeria earlier on and have a game in hand.
Artem Dovbyk sent Girona ahead and after Robert Lewandowski pulled Barca level, Miguel Gutierrez slammed home again for the visitors.
Valery Fernandez extended Girona’s lead with 10 minutes remaining, before Ilkay Gundogan netted to set up a frantic finale.
Veteran striker Cristhian Stuani struck from close range in stoppage time to wrap up a stunning victory which reaffirms the minnows’ title dream.
“We’re enjoying the moment, we’re in a hugely positive dynamic,” Michel told reporters. “This Girona side have a soul and believe they can hurt their opponents. I don’t know if we have the ability to win La Liga, but we are able to beat any opponent. We knew that [Barca] were going to press hard but if we were able to make the first two passes, we would stand a chance.”
Defeat leaves Barcelona’s title defence badly dented.
“Girona have a lot of merit in what they are doing. They are in the lead, even more so today. They’ve got seven points more than us and that’s well deserved,” Xavi said.
“It was an even game. If Barca won, we would also say it’s fair. I think we shot 31 times. Maybe the errors in defence have taken their toll on us.
“We want to cut down the gap, this is our reality — this is a Barca under construction, although they have criticised me for [saying] it. You take one step back to be able to take two steps forwards.”
Barca had 31 attempts in the game, 11 of them on target, but Girona keeper Paulo Gazzaniga pulled off a string of saves while at the other end they scored with four out of their seven shots on target.
The visitors split the 27-time champions open with a lethal counter-attack, with Ukrainian winger Viktor Tsygankov feeding his compatriot Dovbyk to slam home in the 12th minute.
Lewandowski rediscovered his goal-scoring form and equalised for the hosts seven minutes later, heading home following a corner to end a run of three matches without a goal.
Gutierrez restored Girona’s lead before halftime, after the defender broke into the box and scored with an individual effort, and Fernandez made it 3-1 in the 80th minute with a low shot two minutes after coming off the bench.
However Gundogan turned well in the box and lashed past Gazzaniga to give the hosts a chance to snatch a draw before Stuani bundled home at the death to complete a sensational night for Girona.
Earlier Diego Simeone’s Atletico took an early two-goal lead through Alvaro Morata and Angel Correa, but Leo Baptistao pulled Almeria into the game after an hour.
Atletico held on for the victory as the Andalucian strugglers threatened to pull level at the Metropolitano.
“They pressed us in the second half, we couldn’t find solutions and it was hard for us,” Atletico forward Antoine Griezmann admitted to Movistar.
Griezmann had a goal ruled out for offside by VAR but he helped his side take the lead in the 17th minute when he won the ball high up the pitch before he found Morata, who dribbled into the box and rounded the goalkeeper to score.
Correa doubled the lead five minutes later when Marcos Llorente provided the cross from out wide for the Argentine forward to tap in from close range, another goal-scoring move that was orchestrated by Griezmann.
Almeria halved the deficit when Brazilian forward Baptistao pounced on a loose ball after Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak made a save. They had their chances in the second half to steal a point, but Oblak stood firm to deny the visitors.
Athletic Bilbao’s visit to Granada was stopped in the 18th minute because a fan died in the stands, with the match subsequently abandoned.
Inaki Williams had sent the Basques ahead and they will resume play with the lead on Monday night from 17 minutes.
