A frustrated Barça in attack was unable to break through Girona’s wall and signed a goalless draw in the Catalan derby. The blaugrana had in their hands the -almost- sentence of the League, leaving Real Madrid 15 points behind when there are only 30 left to play. However, with this result, Xavi’s men are 13 units behind the whites in a good football show.
Aware of the importance of the match to deal a -practically- definitive blow to the League, Xavi Hernández came out with all the meat on the grill and returned to the scheme with three forwards. Chevrons for Ansu Fati on the extreme left of the attack and also for Eric Garcia in the axis of the defense; both chaining two titles in the domestic competition.
Far from the unfortunate images experienced in Montilivi by the Espanyol fans on the last day of the League, brotherhood reigned at the Camp Nou between the fans of Barça and Girona, two clubs with more than similar idiosyncrasies. A very festive and familiar atmosphere on Easter Monday. Mateu Lahoz did not have the same reception, booed endlessly by the stands of the Estadi.
On the pitch of the Spotify Camp Nou, two attractive proposals for both partial and impartial fans. The two teams printed character and rhythm, the chances followed one another in the two goals and Xavi and Míchel looked at him with the same bearing from both technical areas. They began by attacking Girona, but aftershocks came in the Gazzaniga area. In fact, the Argentinian goalkeeper saved a very poisonous transfer from ex-Blaugrana Bueno from under the sticks.
The 10th minute of the match arrived and the stands of the Estadi repeated a chant that seems to become a tradition until the season comes down: “Messi, Messi” resounded in the Les Corts neighborhood. The public is sovereign and wants the return of the best footballer in history.
Raphinha tried twice from the left wing, both times with practically no angle: the first towards the long post and the second towards the short post. However, the most obvious of the first half came from Araujo’s boots. Impossible shot from the Uruguayan in a corner served short from first and from behind. The ball went towards the rival goal and Gazzaniga saved over the line. So much so that the ball crossed it, but not completely. All in all, the footballers headed into the changing room tunnel in a great football spectacle, but without the goal: the football sauce.
Xavi and Míchel opted to introduce a change in their teams: an opportunity for Kessie and Aleix Garcia to the detriment of a discreet Sergi Roberto and Borja Garcia, respectively. The first great chance of the second half came quickly: Eric Garcia’s header from a corner that narrowly missed the ball.
The clearest, however, came from the team that wore the flag. Castellanos failed the unforgivable after receiving a leaked ball that left him alone against Ter Stegen, although help came from Tsyhankov. The Argentine chose to finish the action himself and his shot missed the goal to the disbelief of all the people of Girona. Moments later he was replaced by Stuani.
Girona was taking the game to their home ground: starting a draw against Barça at home is not a minor thing, in fact, it is the second time in their history that they have achieved it. The blaugrana began to despair, but the success decreased by three quarters of the field and the people from Girona knew all the magic tricks of the culé forwards. Raphinha tried, but his will was not enough for her, Ansu Fati insisted without a prize and Lewandowski continued in his particular ostracism.
Xavi shook up the lead, bringing on Ferran Torres and Jordi Alba to pierce the left-handed lane with a double from the side. With this came a triangulation by the old guard: Busquets combined with the one from L’Hospitalet and at first wanted to combine with Lewandowski, but the visiting wall intercepted this connection.
Barça did not give up and tried to find a loophole in Girona’s crowded defense, either between the lines or with lateral centers. But when he doesn’t want to, he doesn’t want to and the ball refused to cross the goal line. Already in stoppage time, Lewandowski tossed a coin into the air with a heeled shot inside the area… and neither. The Spotify Camp Nou score remained static and there was a distribution of points. Barça will visit the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez to face Getafe in the next matchday of the League, on Sunday, April 16