Surely, Girona were going to run out of steam. They enjoyed a nice start, won a few games, scored some late goals. The magic was supposed to end eventually. But after 16 weeks of La Liga, it is very much alive.
The visitors struck first. It was an admittedly easy thing, Ivan Martin pinging a ball in the channel for Viktor Tsiganov, who squared to Artem Dobvyk for an easy finish. Lewandowski responded, though, outleaping two defenders to nod Raphinha's corner home at the far post.
After a series of opportunities on the break, Girona deservedly reclaimed the lead. Miguel Gutierrez was allowed to saunter down the pitch, and poked an effort into the top corner.
Barca looked a more assertive side after the break. They created countless opportunities, pouring forward to find an equalising goal. But it never came, and they were left vulnerable at the other end.
Valery Fernandez, a former Blaugrana youth product, took advantage, slotting home after a Kounde blunder gifted him a one-on-one. A late Ilkay Gundogan goal was cancelled out by another Girona effort, sending the unlikely contenders back to the top of the league — and perhaps giving their 500 traveling fans reason to dream.
GOAL rates Barcelona's players from the Olympic Stadium...
Goalkeeper & Defence
Inaki Pena (4/10):
Couldn't do anything about any of the Girona goals. Made a couple of nice stops.
Jules Kounde (3/10):
All over the place at right-back. Did not deal with Savio effectively and should have closed Gutierrez down for Girona's second. Missed a tackle for the third. A night to forget.
Ronald Araujo (5/10):
Showed some real strength in one-on-one duels, which was the only positive in an otherwise middling showing.
Andreas Christensen (4/10):
Should have cut off the pass in the build up to Girona's first goal. Didn't last the 90 minutes — replaced by a left-back.
Joao Cancelo (4/10):
Decided to take on a shot when he could have given Lewandowski a simple tap in. Some of his distribution was very loose. Disappointing.
Midfield
Ilkay Gundogan (6/10):
Scored the Barca second. Did some positive things going forward, but left a gaping hole in central midfield at times. Made things easier for his opposition.
Frenkie de Jong (6/10):
Lost defensively on the Girona opener, failing to cover the space that the visitors so easily exploited. Excellent on the ball, though.
Pedri (7/10):
Created loads of chances, found spaces in the final third, made things happen around the box. It looked like others were trying to rob him of assists, at times.
Joao Felix (4/10):
Largely ineffective, missing in his passing and lacking in front of goal. A really poor showing after starring against Atletico Madrid last week.
Attack
Raphinha (4/10):
Got in behind the defence on a few occasions, but was wasteful every time. Sent a free-kick miles over. Not a good day for the Brazilian.
Robert Lewandowski (4/10):
Got back among the goals with a well-taken header. Was otherwise really poor, put a header wide, and spent a lot of time moaning at his team-mates.
Subs & Manager
Alejandro Balde (4/10):
Asked to play in central defence, for some reason — where he looked uncomfortable.
Lamine Yamal (6/10):
A real creative force late on. Put a ball on a plate for Lewandowski, made Daley Blind's life hell.
Ferran Torres (5/10):
Assisted Gundogan's goal. Otherwise uninvolved.
Fermin Lopez (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
