Barcelona surrender La Liga lead to Real Madrid in Rashford absence
Barcelona have surrendered the La Liga summit to Real Madrid after a damaging 2-1 defeat by Girona highlighted the absence of injured forward Marcus Rashford.
Hansi Flick’s side suffered a second consecutive loss following their heavy Copa del Rey defeat by Atletico Madrid earlier in the week.
The England international missed the encounter with a knee injury, halting the impressive momentum he had built during his loan spell.
Without the Manchester United loanee leading the line, the Catalan giants struggled for consistency and were punished by their local rivals.
Girona shock neighbours
Pau Cubarsi had given the visitors the lead shortly before the hour mark.
However, Thomas Lemar equalised quickly before Fran Beltran netted a contentious late winner confirmed by VAR.
The result was compounded by Lamine Yamal striking the post from the penalty spot in the first half.
This latest setback allowed Real Madrid to overtake the Blaugrana at the top of the table.
Spanish media declare ‘crisis’
The local press were scathing in their assessment of the performance, with Marca warning of a full-blown crisis.
They stated the current run could leave the club “empty-handed this season”.
Sport described the second-half collapse as “chaotic”, while criticism focused heavily on the team’s defensive frailties.
Commentator Manolo Lama claimed Flick had “gone mad” tactically, suggesting an unbalanced formation left the backline exposed.
He observed that the team deployed “five forwards that neither pressed nor won the ball back nor helped the defenders.”
Raphinha returns to fray
One bright spark for Flick was the return of Raphinha, who looked dangerous before being withdrawn after 60 minutes.
Football Espana noted that it was “no coincidence that his exit coincided with Girona growing in the game.”
Rashford will hope to recover in time to feature against Levante on Sunday as he bids to earn a permanent transfer to the Camp Nou.
However, the former Old Trafford forward may face a battle to reclaim his starting spot immediately given Raphinha’s sharp return.