A week ago, Barcelona’s loss to Real Madrid decided who was going to win La Liga. The answer was received on Saturday. Barcelona missed the chance to keep Real waiting for another week. They had to accept a dramatic defeat in the field of Girona. By doing so, Madrid club regained superiority in La Liga.
Real came within touching distance of the La Liga title after defeating Cadiz earlier in the day. Their points stand at 87 in 34 matches. Barcelona had no choice but to win in front to extend their wait. They entered the field of Girona from 14 points behind. The first half ended with the lead. But Girona staged a stunning comeback to win the match 4-2 and Real secured their 36th La Liga trophy with four games in hand against Barca.
Girona beat Barcelona by the same scoreline at the Nou Camp last December. Catalan club coach Javi Hernandez wanted to avenge that loss by 4-2. And Girona wanted to make history by winning against Barca at home. The team that had been on top for so long at the start of this season had the last laugh.
Barca took the lead in three minutes with Andres Christensen’s goal. They could not hold the lead even for a minute. Artem Dovvik equalized in the next minute. Robert Lewandowski scored from the penalty spot just before the half-time whistle. Barca ended the first half with a 2-1 lead.
The story of the second half was filled with disappointment for Barcelona. In the 65th minute, Cristian Porto equalized for Girona. Miguel Gutierrez gave them a 3-2 lead two minutes later. Porto scored their second goal in the 74th minute to dampen Barca’s comeback hopes.
Barca is in second place with 73 points in 34 matches. Even if they win the last four matches, they will not be able to touch Real again.
This is Madrid’s second league title since Carlo Ancelotti took over as coach in 2021. The Italian coach won six league trophies in five countries.
Besides, Luka Modric and Nacho Fernandez got 25 trophies in Real Madrid jersey. The two shared Karim Benzema and Marcelo’s club record.
Real on the brink of adding more trophies ahead. They have a chance to win the double title this season. After securing the La Liga championship, the Madrid club will focus on the semi-finals of the Champions League, they drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich in the first leg.
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