Spain: Barcelona maintain perfect start to the season
Girona 1 - 4 Barcelona
Lamine Yamal netted twice as Barcelona continued their dominant start to the season with a commanding 4-1 victory away at Girona.
The 17-year-old Spanish winger opened the scoring in the 30th minute, capitalising on a mistake by David Lopez deep in Girona's half, before expertly lifting the ball over goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.
Yamal added his second just seven minutes later with a composed first-time strike from the edge of the box, following a rebound from Raphinha's free-kick.
Click here for more La Liga news and stories
Girona, who finished third last season, thought they had been awarded a penalty after Bryan Gil's header struck Inigo Martinez's arm, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review.
Dani Olmo became the first player since Cesc Fabregas in 2011 to score in his first three league games for Barcelona, finding the net with a precise finish from a tight angle in the 47th minute to make it 3-0.
Seventeen minutes later, midfielder Pedri capped off the performance, calmly slotting past Gazzaniga after being played through by Marc Casado's incisive pass.
Girona managed a late consolation goal through substitute Cristhian Stuani, who fired home a first-time shot inside the box with 10 minutes remaining.
Visit the Barcelona section of our website by clicking here
Shortly after, Ferran Torres, a former Manchester City winger who had only been on the pitch for 17 minutes, received a red card for a reckless challenge on Yaser Asprilla.
The win moved Hansi Flick's Barcelona four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, marking their fifth consecutive victory.
The best reaction
Our friends at GMCR Football offered some tactical analysis. Do you agree with this?
Liam, a Manchester United fan, actually watched the match as neutral. He said: "Really composed performance from a confident Barcelona side. They look ten times better than last season with their younger players benefitting from more experience at the top level."
