Substitute Ronald Araújo secured a 2-1 La Liga victory for Barcelona against Girona on Saturday, ending the team's two-game losing streak just before next week's Clásico. The central defender slid to the near post to skilfully redirect a low pass from Frenkie de Jong in the 93rd minute. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was sent off with two quick yellow cards, reportedly for protesting the amount of stoppage time, which means he is now set to miss the match against Real Madrid.
Pedri González opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 13th minute with a superb angled, no-look shot inside the near post. The lead was short-lived, as Girona's Axel Witsel equalized seven minutes later with an acrobatic bicycle kick. Girona threatened to take the lead multiple times before halftime, but were denied by saves from Wojciech Szczęsny and missed opportunities. Amidst an injury crisis missing Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, Flick gave 17-year-old Toni Fernández his La Liga debut.
After the match, Flick addressed his red card, insisting his gestures were not aimed at the referee. "Frenkie [de Jong] was there and I said [while clapping] 'OK come on Frenkie,'" Flick explained. "It was not a reaction for the referee." He also defended his celebration after the winning goal: "It was against no one... It's football. It's emotion. I also say nothing about the referee... I tried to say something to him, but he didn't speak with me. I accept it."
Flick also explained the tactical move of using Araújo as an emergency striker. "I spoke with Ronald," Flick said. "I said 'Do you think you can play this?' And he said 'Yes.'... Ronald is really good in training in front of goal." Araújo himself was confident, telling reporters, "When the boss asked me about coming on there, I had absolutely no doubts. When I was putting my shirt on I said 'If I come on, I'll score a goal.' Everyone laughed and then I scored." The win moves Barcelona to the top of the league, one point ahead of Real Madrid, who face Getafe on Sunday.
