Girona defeated Barcelona 2-1 in a La Liga match held at Estadi Montilivi on Monday, February 16, 2026, relinquishing the top spot in the league to Real Madrid.
The Catalan derby saw Barcelona take the lead through Pau Cubarsí in the 59th minute, heading home a cross from Jules Kounde. However, Girona responded quickly with a goal from Thomas Lemar just three minutes later, leveling the score. Fran Beltran then secured the victory for Girona in the 87th minute, sending the home crowd into celebration.
The match was marked by missed opportunities for Barcelona, including a penalty kick taken by Lamine Yamal that struck the same upright as a previous attempt by Raphinha earlier in the game. According to reports, Barcelona hit the woodwork twice in the first half.
The defeat marks successive losses in all competitions for Barcelona, a situation not seen since October. Following the match, Cubarsí expressed the team’s need for self-criticism and improvement, stating, “We lacked a bit of everything. We need to be self-critical. We need to improve things and get our act together.”
With the loss, Barcelona now sits in second place in the La Liga table with 58 points, two points behind Real Madrid. The result leaves Real Madrid in the top position, capitalizing on Barcelona’s slip-up.
Elsewhere, attention shifts to the Champions League, where Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is set to face AS Monaco at the Louis II stadium tonight for the first leg of their tie. The readiness of PSG for this crucial match and the potential for an upset by AS Monaco are key talking points.
The lineups for the Barcelona-Girona match were as follows: Barcelona started with Joan; Kounde, Cubarsí, Eric, Martín; Fermín, De Jong, Olmo; Yamal, Ferran, Raphinha. Girona’s starting XI included Gazzaniga; Rincón, Reis, Blind, Arnau; Witsel, Martín; Tsygankov, Lemar, Gil; Vanat.
The match was officiated by referee César Soto Grado, with VAR support from David Gálvez Rascón. Joel Roca was sent off in added time for a reckless foul on Lamine Yamal.
