Yamal-inspired Barcelona make it five from five with impressive win over Girona
This derby has taken a historic turn in recent times, with Girona bettering their opponents in LaLiga for the first time ever last season with a pair of 4-2 victories.
That incredible campaign meant Girona lost some key members over the summer, but this didn’t deter Míchel’s men from taking to the field with the confidence of a side that will participate in their maiden UEFA Champions League campaign from next week.
It was perhaps that same confidence which was also their downfall here, however, as David Lopez was robbed too easily by the prodigal Lamine Yamal, with the youngster subsequently running into the penalty box and striking past a helpless Paulo Gazzaniga from 10 yards.
Barca now had their tails up, and only seven minutes had elapsed before La Liga’s U23 player of the month had his second when Yamal finished off a piece of intricate link-up play with a sumptuous curler from 25 yards.
Yamal’s side did have to survive a scare before the break when a Girona penalty was overturned with help from VAR, but that proved to be a minor blip. In fact, Barcelona extended their lead just two minutes after the interval when Dani Olmo was played into the penalty area by Jules Kounde before smashing home a half-volley with some panache.
The final stages resembled something of a training ground exercise, with Yamal continuing to torture the Girona backline as the visitors continued to pepper shots at Gazzaniga.
Perhaps it was revenge for last season’s defeats that was behind the visitors’ ruthless efforts for further goals, and Barca found their fourth in wonderful fashion when Marc Casado’s reverse pass found Pedri, who made no mistake when rounding Girona’s Argentine keeper.
Finding a consolation goal through Cristhian Stuani’s close-range finish with 10 minutes to go gave the home fans something to cheer about, but it’s back to the drawing board for Girona, who were never truly in this contest on a difficult afternoon.
Meanwhile, despite ending the afternoon with 10 men after Ferran Torres saw a straight red for a rash challenge, Barcelona’s strong form continued as they registered a fifth consecutive victory to kick off the season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)