In an at times tense Catalan derby encounter, Barcelona managed to take advantage of their superior quality, to continue their strong push for the La Liga crown this season. Hosts Girona started confidently, immediately putting pressure on their guests, so to not give them time on the ball. Yet in spite of this, Barcelona would land the first significant blow of the game, before the clock reached the ten minute mark.
In their first sustained period of pressure on the Girona penalty area, Barcelona made the break through. A free-flowing attacking move down the left hand side, and a subsequent cross, caused chaos in the Girona box. A series of Barcelona shots were fired at goal without reward; that was until the ball fell to the feet of full back Nelson Semedo, on the edge of the area.
Without hesitation, the Portuguese unleashed a wicked drive, low and hard into the bottom corner of the net. Keeper Bono barely had time to react before the ball was past him. Barcelona had claimed a vital early goal.
Despite conceding the opening goal, Girona seemed to be buoyed by the challenge of falling behind early in the match. In fact, from that point the hosts were arguably the better side, for the remainder of the first half. First Alcala, then Portu attempted headed efforts at goal, yet their quality failed to show, as the ball flew harmlessly wide of the target on both occasions.
From then on, the match calmed somewhat, with the sides locked in a battle for supremacy in midfield. However, there was one last chance for the hosts to grab an equaliser before the interval. Talisman Christhian Stuani broke into the box for a one on one opportunity with Barcelona stopper Ter Stegen; but in spite of producing a rasping low drive, the Uruguayan was denied by a superb save from the German.
So, Barcelona would hold a narrow lead at the interval.
The second half commenced in similar fashion to how the first concluded; both sides were intent on attacking as much as possible. Once more, Stuani proved dangerous for the hosts, with an early effort forcing Ter Stegen into a smart save to keep his side ahead. It was soon after this that disaster struck for the hosts. Defender Bernardo committed a fatal foul from behind on Luis Suarez , and thus picked up a second yellow card, and his marching orders.
In a surprising turn of events however, Girona appeared to be invigorated by the dismissal of their centre half, and immediately launched themselves into a siege of their visitors' penalty area. Three golden chances followed, courtesy of Aleix Garcia and Stuani, but as was the tale during the entire afternoon, Girona lacked a crucial finishing touch.
Suddenly, after weathering the storm from the home side, Barcelona would land another sucker punch in the match. A rapid counter attack, again down the left hand side through Jordi Alba, saw Lionel Messi put through for an opportunity on goal. Typical of the forward, the Argentine maintained his composure under the pressure of the on-rushing Bono, to dink the ball over the keeper, and into the back of the net.
Undoubtedly, the second goal was a turning point in the game, as Girona's confidence was deflated, and Barcelona sensed a chance to further add to their lead. Striker Luis Suarez could have grabbed a hat trick on the afternoon; but in a rare anxious finishing display, the Uruguayan snatched at every chance that presented itself, and left Montilivi empty handed.
Nevertheless, the final stages of the match were dominated more by substitutions than any noteworthy chances. Girona, although valiant for the most part, had resigned themselves to suffering a defeat. Meanwhile, Barcelona were winning comfortably, and were content to sit deep and play counter attacking football. Still, in spite of a flurry of late openings, no further goals would be added to the score line.
January 27, 2019
Overall, Barcelona will be content with the victory, which saw them restore their five point lead at the top of the table. Ernesto Valverde will be pleased that his side had the character to battle at various stages of the match, to return home with the spoils. In contrast, Girona will be disappointed that they could not make more of their own chances, as a lack of quality resigned them to defeat.
So, Barcelona march on in their pursuit of the La Liga title.