3 days Ago By BBC
GIRONA, Spain, Sep 16 – Lamine Yamal scored twice as Barcelona ruthlessly maintained their perfect start to the season with a 4-1 away win at Girona. The 17-year-old Spain winger opened the scoring in the 30th minute after dispossessing David Lopez deep in his own half before lifting the ball beyond goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. Yamal scored a second seven minutes later with a composed, first-time finish from the edge of the box after Raphinha’s free-kick rebounded to him.
Girona, who finished third last season, thought they had been awarded a penalty after Bryan Gil’s header struck the arm of Inigo Martinez but the decision was reversed after a video assistant referee review. Dani Olmo became the first player to score in his first three Barcelona league matches since Cesc Fabregas in 2011 with a fine finish from a tight angle in the 47th minute to make it 3-0. Midfielder Pedri latched on to Marc Casado’s defence-splitting pass to slot beyond Gazzaniga to put the gloss on the performance 17 minutes later.
Substitute Cristhian Stuani scored a consolation for the home side 10 minutes from time with a first-time finish inside the penalty area. Six minutes later, former Manchester City winger Ferran Torres, who had only been on the pitch for 17 minutes, was shown a red card for a heavy challenge on Yaser Asprilla. Victory moved Hansi Flick’s Barcelona side four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga after their fifth consecutive win.
.
