Barcelona: American fans will be licking their lips if this is what awaits Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium in January after Barcelona and Girona played out an enthralling 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou, Sunday.
There were four goals, one for Lionel Messi and two for Girona’s Cristhian Stuani, not to mention a controversial red card shown to Barca defender Clement Lenglet. Gerard Pique salvaged a point for the hosts.
By the end, Barca had surrendered their perfect record in La Liga, as well as a two-point advantage over Real Madrid. They return to the top of the table, but only on goal difference while Girona moved up to sixth.
Within 19 minutes, Messi put Barca ahead, a slick finish into the corner finishing off Arturo Vidal’s pass for the Argentinian’s eighth goal in six games. Pique, however, was at fault for the equaliser, a lethargic attempt at a clearance allowing Stuani to poke the ball past Marc-Andre ter Stegen just before the interval.
Girona had been spurred on by Lenglet’s red card, after VAR showed the French defender landed an elbow into the face of Pere Pons, and referee Jesus Gil deemed it deliberate.
Stuani, scored another six minutes after the restart, with Pique again the one culpable. First, he was outrun by Portu and then he brought the striker down from behind for what was probably a penalty. Portu’s shot was pushed away by Ter Stegen but Stuani banged in the rebound.
In the 63rd minute, a brilliant exchange between Messi and Luis Suarez saw the latter’s shot loop across the box before Pique leaping high to head in.