In the 16th round of La Liga, we witnessed a shocking comeback as Girona, who had been fighting for relegation, won a historic 4-2 away win over the mighty defending champions Barcelona. The victory not only gave them the glory of beating the giants, but also gave them a surprise leap over Real Madrid to the top of the league standings. Girona's performance this season can undoubtedly be seen as one of the dark horses in European football.
They narrowly escaped relegation last season, but this season they have become serious contenders for the title. By the end of the first day, they had amassed an impressive record of 12 wins, 2 draws and just 1 defeat, leaving traditional powerhouses such as Atletico Madrid and Barcelona behind.
Although Girona had never beaten Barcelona in a competitive match before, with their only victory coming in a Catalan Cup in which Barcelona sent substitutes, their winning streak has been eye-catching this season under manager Charles Michel. Apart from the defeat against Real Madrid, they are unbeaten in the league and have won eight and drawn one of their last nine matches.
Therefore, they were full of confidence when they challenged Barcelona this time, and the process of the game proved their ability and ambition. Soon after the start of the game, the Girona team showed their edge. It took just 12 minutes for them to break the deadlock thanks to a goal from Dovbick. Although Barcelona quickly pulled one back with a corner, Girona were unfazed. Before half-time, Gutiérrez's quick counter-attack shocked the Barcelona fans again.
Barcelona played a strong offensive after the change, but surprisingly, it was Girona who scored the next goal to further cement their lead. As the game entered injury time, Gundogan added another goal for Barcelona to give the home team hope. However, Girona's late goal from substitute striker Stuani completely destroyed Barcelona's chances of equalising. Girona finally put themselves at the top of La Liga with a 4-2 victory.
In this next match, Girona will face Alaves and Real Betis. If they can continue their form against Barcelona, it shouldn't be difficult to win these two games, which will keep them at the top of the table, write a story for Girona to celebrate their halfway lead in the league, and also bring a long-lost excitement and novelty to La Liga.