Girona pulled off a massive upset in La Liga, beating Barcelona 2-1 at Montilivi on Monday night. Lamine Yamal missed a penalty, and Hansi Flick’s team was left fuming over a late, controversial goal. The Catalans dropped key points in the title race, right in the middle of a tug-of-war with their bitter rivals, Real Madrid.

Early on, Yamal found himself clean through on goal against Paulo Gazzaniga, but his shot went straight at the ex-Tottenham keeper. Before that, Raphinha had already blown a good chance, dragging his effort wide.

Barca kept pushing for the opener, but then Girona’s Vladyslav Vanat broke free, forcing a sharp stop from Garcia – kind of a warning shot. Vanat really should’ve scored halfway through the first half when Bryan Gil whipped a wicked cross in from the left, but the Ukrainian striker completely missed it.

Just before half-time, Raphinha rattled the post, and then Dani Olmo got brought down by Daley Blind in the box. Yamal stepped up for the penalty, but he smashed it off the post. The nerves were showing.

After an hour, Barca finally broke through. Pau Cubarsi rose to meet Kounde’s cross and planted an incredible header into the top corner for his first league goal for the club. But the lead didn’t last long. Within a minute, Thomas Lemar poked in an equaliser after Cubarsi failed to clear his lines.

From there, Girona looked like a different team. Garcia had to bail Barcelona out a couple of times, but with just minutes left, Fran Beltran finally beat him. The goal went to VAR, and it looked like it’d be chalked off for a foul on Kounde, but the ref let it stand. The Barca bench lost it.

Barca thought they had a late equaliser, but Lewandowski was just offside. Girona’s shock win really shakes up the title race.

StadiumNest player ratings for Barca at Montilivi:

Goalkeeper & Defence

Joan Garcia (7/10):

Left stranded by Cubarsi’s mess-up. Pulled off a great save to deny Vernat; even though the flag went up, he couldn’t have known. Conceded to Beltran, but honestly, there was a foul in the build-up.

Jules Kounde (7/10):

Delivered a gorgeous assist for Cubarsi’s goal. Kept Gil quiet and looked like Barca’s best defender. Got fouled before Beltran’s goal, but it didn’t matter in the end.

Pau Cubarsi (6/10):

Bullet header to open the scoring, but then let himself down with a bad clearance right after, leading to Lemar’s equaliser.

Eric Garcia (5/10):

He looked just as shaky as he did when Atletico hammered them earlier in the week. Picked up a booking for a late tackle on Vitor Reis. Subbed off in the second half, visibly upset, he knew it wasn’t his night.

Gerard Martin (6/10):

Struggled a bit defensively down his side. Tried to get involved but was eventually replaced by Balde.

Midfield

Fermin Lopez (6/10):

Always eager to drive forward and take a shot, but he just couldn’t get into the game as much as he wanted.

Frenkie de Jong (6/10):

Linked defence and attack well. He looked better on the ball than without it, which is pretty normal for him.

Dani Olmo (7/10):

Earned the penalty with some quick feet. He looked great whenever he got on the ball, but after he went off, Barca completely lost their rhythm.

Attack

Lamine Yamal (5/10):

Huge miss one-on-one; it looked like he had too much time to think. Hit the post with a poor penalty. Always wants the ball, but this game just got away from him.

Ferran Torres (6/10):

Barely involved. Got subbed off. He’s no Lewandowski up front, that’s for sure.

Raphinha (7/10):

Missed a couple of good chances in the first half, but he wasn’t the only culprit. Hit the post just before the break. Came off for Bardghji. Frustrating night – some great runs, but nothing to show for it.

Barcelona finally got some good news ahead of their La Liga showdown with Girona. Hansi Flick, the head coach, confirmed that one of his most important players is back, and he gave some honest updates about a few others who are still recovering.

It’s no secret that Barcelona looked lost in their last game against Atletico Madrid. They got hammered 4–0 in the Copa del Rey first leg, and you could really feel the absence of Raphinha, Pedri, and Marcus Rashford. The whole night just went from bad to worse.

Yesterday, before tonight’s game, Flick told reporters (via Mundo Deportivo) that Raphinha is finally fit again. He’s over the adductor problem that kept him out for three matches, and he’s ready to play.

“Raphinha will be able to play. He means a lot to us. You notice when he’s missing. He brings energy and speed to our training; he just lifts the whole team. I’ve said it before: for me, last season he was the best player in the world.”

Flick didn’t say whether Raphinha would start or come off the bench, but just having him back is a big deal for a team that needs some spark after that ugly cup loss.

On the other hand, Marcus Rashford is still out. Flick made it clear there’s no chance Rashford plays against Girona. He’s improving, but they’re not rushing him.

“Marcus Rashford is ruled out for tomorrow. He’s much better, but he has to take things step by step.”

As for Gavi and Pedri, they’re both still sidelined, but things are looking up. Flick cautioned that Gavi probably won’t be back until March, even though he’s been happy with what he’s seen in training.

“With Gavi, we have to be careful. What I’ve seen in training, I’ve liked. Maybe he won’t be ready in February, but I think he will be in March.”

Pedri’s situation sounds a bit more promising; Flick expects him back before the end of February, but he didn’t give an exact date.

So, with Raphinha ready to go and the others getting closer, Barcelona will be hoping these returns steady the ship in La Liga and help them bounce back from their recent stumble in the cup.