Barcelona pulled off a dramatic 2-1 win over Girona on Saturday, with Ronald Araujo scoring deep into stoppage time to send the defending champions back to the top of LaLiga.
For much of the night, it looked like Real Madrid would stay top of the table, but Araujo’s late strike changed everything. In the 93rd minute, the Uruguayan defender linked up with Frenkie de Jong before blasting the ball past Paulo Gazzaniga, sparking wild celebrations inside the Olympic Stadium.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick had been sent off moments earlier for arguing with officials as his side struggled to find a winner. But Ronald Araujo’s goal ensured Flick’s team grabbed all three points in the Catalan derby.
Pedri had opened the scoring in the 13th minute, combining beautifully with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal before finishing coolly into the bottom corner. Girona hit back quickly through Axel Witsel, who produced an acrobatic finish after Arnau Martinez kept a corner alive.
The game remained wide open after that. Girona’s Vladyslav Vanat and Portu came close to giving the visitors the lead, while Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford and Fermin Lopez were both denied by the post. Pau Cubarsi thought he’d restored the lead in the second half, but his goal was ruled out for offside.
Just when it seemed the match would end in frustration for Barcelona, Araujo came to the rescue. The victory not only extended Barcelona’s scoring streak to 46 straight games in all competitions—a new club record—but also marked their third consecutive LaLiga win over Girona for the first time in history.
According to match data, Barcelona narrowly edged Girona on expected goals (1.86 to 1.84), but in the end, it was Ronald Araujo’s last-minute magic that made all the difference.
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