Barcelona, who are chasing the La Liga title, were held to a 0‑0 draw by Girona at the Camp Nou on Monday. The result extended their lead over Real Madrid to 13 points with ten games remaining. Still smarting from their humiliating defeat to Madrid in the Copa del Rey Clasico last week, Barcelona were far from their best in the Catalan derby, despite the motivation of seeing the champions lose to Villarreal on Saturday. Girona, a mid‑table side, were solid and forced Xavi Hernández’s team to drop points at home for only the third time this season.
Barcelona kept a clean sheet – their 21st in the top flight – but could not fully capitalise on Real Madrid’s stumble as they aim to win La Liga for the first time since 2019. “As the minutes passed, they started to gain confidence in defence, and we were struggling to make the final pass or take our chances,” captain Sergio Busquets told DAZN. “Our objective remains the same: to win La Liga, and to try to win it as soon as possible. We’re 13 points clear, but our objective remains the same.”
Xavi, still missing several key players including Pedri and Ousmane Dembélé, lined up Ansu Fati and Raphinha alongside La Liga’s top scorer Robert Lewandowski up front. The Polish forward came close to opening the scoring four minutes in, whipping an effort onto the roof of the net after a pass from Fati. Girona defender Santi Bueno almost scored an own goal, but goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga reacted well, sliding in to divert the ball to safety. The former Tottenham keeper also saved Raphinha’s near‑post shot and later clawed away a Ronald Araujo effort from the resulting corner. Barcelona appealed for a goal, but without goal‑line technology La Liga officials, assisted by VAR, ruled that the ball had not crossed the line.
In the second half, Eric García headed over from a corner as Barcelona continued to search for a breakthrough. Girona’s best chance came when Taty Castellanos fired wide after being through on goal, with Ivan Martín ready for a tap‑in. Xavi introduced defender Jordi Alba as a left winger to improve delivery in the final third; Alba made an instant impact with a dangerous cross and neat interplay with Lewandowski. In stoppage time, Gazzaniga made another fine save, tipping over Gavi’s header from a corner as Barcelona finally showed urgency, but it was too late. Lewandowski’s late back‑heel attempt was deflected wide, and Girona held on for the draw.
The result gave the Catalans a modest step toward their title dream, extending their lead over Madrid by one point.
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