Araujo strikes late as Barca snatch win over Girona

Ronald Araujo struck astatine the decease to snatch Barcelona a 2-1 triumph implicit Girona connected Saturday and assistance the champions apical of La Liga.

The defender, sent connected arsenic an exigency forward, netted successful the 93rd infinitesimal to springiness Barca a one-point pb connected Real Madrid, who sojourn Getafe connected Sunday.

Following 2 consecutive defeats Barca were lone conscionable capable to borderline Girona, 19th, acknowledgment to Araujo’s precocious goal.

Pedri Gonzalez slotted Barcelona up aboriginal connected but Axel Witsel equalised with a superb overhead footwear for a Girona broadside who came adjacent to securing a deserved point.

“Sometimes you person to triumph games similar this — we missed a batch of chances and they did too,” Fermin Lopez told DAZN.

“We fought until the extremity and we got that 2nd goal… it was a chaotic 2nd fractional but I deliberation we deserved the triumph and we got it.”

Barca manager Hansi Flick brought Lamine Yamal backmost into the starting line-up aft helium recovered from the groin wounded which kept him retired of Spain’s caller World Cup qualifiers.

The teenage winger besides missed the 4-1 thrashing by Sevilla successful Barcelona’s past La Liga outing, which the Catalans were lone conscionable capable to bounce backmost from.

With respective players including striker Robert Lewandowski retired injured, Flick handed a league debut to 17-year-old guardant Toni Fernandez.

In enactment with the protestation organised by the Spanish footballers’ relation against Barca’s lucifer against Villarreal successful December which has been moved to Miami, some sets of players stood inactive for 15 seconds aft the whistle blew for kick-off.

Barca took the inaugural and earned a 13th-minute pb done Pedri aft Jules Kounde and Yamal combined well.

The winger fed Pedri, who dribbled into the container and casually passed the shot into the bottommost close corner.

Girona, who finished successful the apical 4 2 seasons agone but person struggled ever since, soon recovered a mode backmost level.

Witsel produced a stunning overhead footwear to equalise successful the 20th infinitesimal and daze the hosts.

The visitors poured guardant and recovered holes successful Barcelona’s precocious enactment respective times to make danger.

Barca goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny made a good prevention to contradict Vladyslav Vanat arsenic helium charged done connected goal.

Cristian Portu struck the station aft getting successful down Barca’s defence and past Bryan Gil blazed disconnected people aft darting done one-on-one yet again.

Marcus Rashford struck the crossbar with a free-kick astatine the different extremity earlier an entertaining conflict reached the interval.

– Honours adjacent –

Pau Cubarsi bundled location for Barca aft an hr but the extremity was ruled retired due to the fact that of a foul by Eric Garcia successful the build-up.

Flick made a astonishing treble change, withdrawing prima players Yamal and Pedri contempt chasing the game, possibly with Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Olympiakos successful mind, arsenic good arsenic adjacent weekend’s Clasico.

Paulo Gazzaniga made an fantabulous prevention astatine his adjacent station to thwart Rashford arsenic Barca turned the screw, with substitute Lopez making a notable impact.

Rashford wanted a punishment erstwhile Vitor Reis caught him successful the look with a swinging limb successful the container but the referee waved distant Barca appeals.

Flick sent connected centre-back Araujo arsenic a striker successful the last stages successful desperation and the Uruguayan delivered heavy successful stoppage time, finishing disconnected Frenkie de Jong’s transverse to snatch 3 points.

Araujo ripped disconnected his garment successful solemnisation arsenic Barca claimed a triumph which seemed improbable aft a level 2nd fractional display.

“We consciousness that we played a large game… (but) we had 4 oregon 5 wide chances and should person scored much to termination the game,” Witsel told DAZN.

“It’s hard mentally to fto successful a extremity similar that, but we person to deliberation astir the archetypal fractional (we played)… and support that successful caput for our adjacent match.”

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