As the final weeks of 2023 come to a close and as we hope to see some more drama and excitement occur into the new year, there is still have some business to get sorted as we wrap up another weekend of the best action across Europe.
On Sunday, Girona sank Barcelona 4-2 in an enthralling game at Olympic Stadium to show that Míchel & Co. are very much in the title race from here, while Manchester City had to fight from behind to get a win at lowly Luton Town. Elsewhere, Arsenal Women downed Chelsea Women in a gripping clash to keep the WSL title race interesting, and how about Everton, eh? Another win for Sean Dyche’s side — this time over Chelsea — keeps them surging up the table in defiance of their 10-point penalty.
On Saturday, Liverpool took top spot in the Premier League, Jude Bellingham scored again as Real Madrid salvaged a point vs. Real Betis, and Eintracht Frankfurt put five past a stunned Bayern Munich.
Here is your look back at all the fun from the weekend.
The Sunday lead: Girona stun Barcelona, LaLiga with historic win
Girona coach Míchel said his team would move into another dimension if they beat Barcelona on Sunday. Well, they just moved into another dimension. LaLiga’s surprise package went to the Olympic Stadium and won a thrilling game 4-2, jumping ahead of Real Madrid and topping the table by two points after 16 games. It will be hard for Míchel and his players to play down the fact they are very much in the picture for the Spanish title now.
Girona fans made the trip an hour south to fill the away allocation and take up hundreds more seats in the home end, and they were rewarded when Artem Dovbyk gave them an early lead in this Catalan derby. Out-of-sorts forward Robert Lewandowski equalised for Barça in a lively opening spell, but that did not dampen Girona’s spirits. The away side continued to play in the manner that has characterised their rise to the top of the table, keeping the ball well, passing with intent and playing on the front foot. They got their reward when left-back Miguel Gutiérrez fired them into the lead, just minutes after he had fired a warning shot wide of Iñaki Peña‘s goal.
Barca rallied but couldn’t find the equalizer late on as Girona wrapped up a historic victory.
Barça tried to rally after the break but most of their shots were straight at Paulo Gazzaniga, and when Raphinha was played through by Frenkie de Jong for a particularly clear-cut chance, he stumbled. Girona remained dangerous with the ball and two of Michel’s substitutes, Cristhian Stuani and Valery, combined to give them a two-goal cushion. Sávio could have added another before Ilkay Gündogan pulled one back for Barça in stoppage time, teeing up an enthralling final few minutes. Lewandowski missed a header he would score nine times out of 10 and then, on the break, Stuani turned home at the far post to seal the points.
Girona’s substitutes tore down the touchline as Stuani jumped the advertising hoardings and sprinted across the running track to celebrate in front of the travelling support. The 37-year-old club legend scored the two goals as they came from behind to beat Valencia last week. This one may even have been even sweeter for all that it meant: a first-ever win over Barça in a Catalan derby, but more importantly, confirmation that Girona are very much in this title race.
By — Sam Marsden
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