FC Barcelona settle for 0-0 draw against Girona, but maintain 13-point lead in the Liga[expander_maker id=”1″ ]

FC Barcelona were unable to secure a win against Girona in their closing match of the 28th round of the Liga, settling for a 0-0 draw. After their humiliating defeat against Real Madrid in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey last week, the team’s performance was lacklustre and unconvincing. Despite this, they managed to widen their lead over their closest competitors, with the winless draw resulting in an additional point for the team, bringing their overall lead to 13 points.

The absence of various key players including Pedri, de Jong, and Dembélé might have been a contributing factor to the poor performance displayed by the team. However, this does not completely justify the underwhelming display of the probable champions of Spain. Striker Robert Lewandowski, who was singled out for criticism, underperformed and made poor decisions throughout the game. The only highlight of his game was a last-minute, heel-flick after a cross by Araujo, but it was not enough to win the game.

Girona’s goalkeeper, Paulo Gazzaniga, made several saves to deny the home team a win. He deflected Raphinha’s shot in a tight angle, cleared a header from Araujo via a corner kick, and thwarted Gavi’s diving header in the final moments of the match. However, Gazzaniga was a mere spectator to Barcelona’s lack of precision and execution, with the team frequently failing to convert their chances into goals. They came close to scoring an own goal during the game when a pass by Bueno went astray and almost resulted in a goal.

Valentin Castellanos’ missed opportunity, when he hesitated during a one-on-one with Marc-André ter Stegen, could have cost Barcelona the game. If Castellanos had been more decisive, Barcelona would have struggled to salvage a point from the match. Despite their struggles during the match, FC Barcelona can now look forward to the end of the season, as their comfortable 13-point lead over Real Madrid means they can afford to drop points in their remaining ten matches. However, if they continue to put up lacklustre performances like this, the remainder of the season could be a long one indeed.[/expander_maker]