FC Barcelona was defeated by Girona in LaLiga, 2-1, and lost the leadership in LaLiga, ending week 24 two points behind Real Madrid. Barcelona has now suffered two defeats in a row, following the 4-0 battering against Atlético de Madrid in Copa del Rey.
Girona, a mid-table team in LaLiga (currently 12th, but dangling close to relegation a few months ago) surprised a still touched Barcelona with a really solid performance, in which they shot nine times on target, versus Barça's four shots on target. Lamine Yamal missed a penalty at the end of the first half, and despite Pau Cubarsí's first Liga goal, Girona responded quickly with a series of attacks, most rejected by García's hands.
Thomas Lemar scored just three minutes after Cubarsí's goal, and Fran Beltrán added a final goal in the 86th minute, which was protested by Barça players due to a possible foul on Jules Koundé earlier. An action that will surely fuel Barcelona's protests against referees in Spain...
How is the race between Barcelona and Madrid in LaLiga?
With Real Madrid extending an eight-match winning streak in LaLiga on Saturday with a 4-1 over Real Sociedad (including Xabi Alonso's last three LaLiga games, and Arbeloa's first five LaLiga games), the race for the league title remains open and changes sides: following Monday's defeat to Girona and January's defeat to Real Sociedad, Barcelona drops to second place with 58 points, and Madrid stays on top with 60 points. Far behind are Villarreal and Atlético de Madrid, with 45 points.