FC Barcelona were held at home to a 0-0 draw by stubborn Girona as the league leaders miss out on the chance of going 15 points clear at the top.
Table of contents
Match Report – El Clasico ( FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid – Copa Del Rey Semi Finals, 2nd Leg)
First Half
Credit: https://twitter.com/BarcaAst/status/1645492910052511745
The game kicked off at the Camp nou with Girona applying pressure immediately on Barcelona defenses when a volley attempted by Tsygankov of Girona hit the side netting early in the game.
The control shifted towards Barcelona soon after but the match was evenly poised as both teams got plenty of chances to score but neither of the teams were successful.
Paulo Gazzaniga, the Girona keeper had an excellent half with the goalkeeper making a number of impressive saves to keep the scoreline as it is. Gazzaniga kept out Raphinha and Araujo’s well placed shots out from the Girona net until the half time whistle.
The scoreline showed as 0-0 when the refree blew for the halftime whistle, FC Barcelona nearly took the lead through a bizarre own goal after a mix-up between Bueno and Gazzaniga, but the keeper reacted quickly to poke the backpass wide.
Second Half
The story of the second half gone just like the first as neither of the teams were able to convert their chances though both the teams got abundance of them throughout the match.
Girona’s Castellanos got the game’s best chance to score when the striker found himself in a one on one situation with Ter Stegen, but the Girona striker placed his shot wide and scuffed the best chance of the game.
From there on, both the teams got plenty of chances but the game ended 0-0 with both teams sharing the spoils in this edition of the Catalan Derby.
Our Thoughts
- Once again the lack of creativity in the midfield hurt the chances of winning for the Catalans as the service from the midfield lacked throughout the game.
- The defense did their part as usual by keeping another clean sheet as Marc Andre Ter Stegen moves closer and closer to his first Zamora Trophy. ( 22 clean sheets in 28 matches )
- The situation of the forwards were once again dreadful as every chance they got they found a way to miss it completely. The overthinking before taking a shot really hurts the reputation of Robert Lewandowski as the Polish striker’s performances after the international break were not upto the par for his standards.
- Raphinha failed to make an impact on 1 v 1 situations where the Brazilian was easily shrugged off the ball by Girona defenders throughout the game.
- Injuries to Ousmane Dembele and Pedri really questions this team’s ability to play without key players, FC Barcelona was knocked out of Europe when the team faced some important absentees due to injuries and the same happened in the Copa Del Rey semi finals as well. Xavi needs to address this issue as soon as possible while focusing on winning the league to end this season on a high note.
How would this draw affect future games? Drop your comments below
