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Girona pulled off a stunning 2-1 victory over Barcelona in a pulsating La Liga Catalan derby at Estadio Montilivi on Monday, leaving the defending champions trailing Real Madrid in the title race, according to La Liga.
The defeat also marks Barcelona's second consecutive loss in all competitions after their 4-0 Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg defeat to Atletico Madrid. Barcelona started the match aggressively, with teenage forward Lamine Yamal testing Girona goalkeeper Joan Garcia inside the opening minutes. Yamal then wasted a one-on-one chance in the 18th minute. Girona had their moments as well, with Vladyslav Vanat forcing a strong save from Garcia just before the half-hour. Raphinha hit the crossbar late in the first half, and moments later, Yamal's penalty, awarded after a foul on Dani Olmo, was missed. The miss adds to Barcelona's tally of three penalties squandered this season, the joint-most in La Liga. The breakthrough came in the 58th minute when Pau Cubarsi rose highest to head home from Jules Kounde's pinpoint cross, giving Barcelona a deserved lead. However, Girona responded almost immediately, with Vanat delivering a low cross that allowed Thomas Lemar to tap in for the equaliser. The match-winning moment arrived in the 86th minute when Fran Beltran struck a powerful shot into the bottom corner, completing the turnaround despite some controversy over a potential foul on Kounde, which was reviewed and allowed by VAR. Barcelona's hopes of salvaging a point were further hindered when Robert Lewandowski was flagged offside on a late chance, and Girona ended the match with ten men after Joel Roca received a red card for a lunging challenge on Yamal. The defeat leaves Barcelona in second place, two points behind Real Madrid, who had beaten Valencia 4-1 on Saturday. Girona, meanwhile, climbed to 12th in the standings, five points clear of the relegation zone, ending a three-match winless run. (ANI)
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