Girona secured a 2-1 victory over Barcelona in a La Liga match on February 16, 2026, dealing a blow to the visitors' title aspirations. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick criticized his team's defensive performance following the loss, which saw them relinquish the top spot to Real Madrid. The result came after Barcelona's recent 4-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey.
The match at Estadi Montilivi began with Barcelona dominating possession and creating early chances. Lamine Yamal fired narrowly wide and later forced a save from Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, while Raphinha dragged an effort past the post. Girona threatened on counter-attacks, with Vladyslav Vanat testing Barcelona's Joan Garcia twice and Viktor Tsygankov shooting over from a free-kick.
Just before halftime, Daley Blind fouled Dani Olmo in the penalty area, but Yamal's spot-kick struck the post. In the second half, Pau Cubarsi gave Barcelona the lead on 59 minutes, heading in Jules Kounde's cross. Girona equalized shortly after when Vanat's delivery found Thomas Lemar for a tap-in.
Both teams had further opportunities, with Garcia denying Tsygankov and Joel Roca, and Gazzaniga saving from Roony Bardghji. The decisive moment came on 86 minutes: after a Barcelona turnover, Roca squared to substitute Fran Beltran, who scored a low finish into the corner. Barcelona pressed late and thought they had equalized via Robert Lewandowski's header, but it was ruled out for offside.
Tensions boiled over in stoppage time when Roca received a straight red card for a late challenge on Yamal. Post-match, Flick refused to blame the referee, stating, “I don’t want to talk about the referee. Everyone saw the match.” He added, “We defended very poorly, especially in transition. We weren’t well-positioned and struggled to withstand Girona’s attacks.”
The defeat followed Barcelona's 4-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, with Real Madrid's 4-1 win over Real Sociedad placing them two points clear at the top. Flick acknowledged the poor form: “We’re not doing well. We’re not in a good moment.” He vowed to use the upcoming training week to improve, saying, “We’ll fight to come back in the coming weeks with a different mentality and a higher level.”
Girona, mid-table and winless in three prior games, snapped their streak. Barcelona's starting lineup included Garcia, Kounde, Yamal, Raphinha, Olmo, and De Jong, with Raphinha returning from injury. Girona lined up with Gazzaniga, Rincon, Lemar, Tsygankov, Blind, Vanat, and others.
