Mueez Ajao
– Barcelona extended their lead at the top of LaLiga to 13 points despite being held to a goalless draw by mid-table Girona in their Catalan derby at the Camp Nou on Monday.
– Barca came closest to scoring but Ronald Araujo’s shot in the first half did not completely cross the goalline before Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga clawed it clear in what was a largely uninspiring performance from the home side.
– Barca moved to 72 points from 28 games, 13 ahead of second-placed Real Madrid with 10 rounds remaining, while Girona are eight points clear of the relegation zone in 11th place.
Also Read: Xavi calls Barcelona’s El Clásico defeat “a tough pill to swallow”
– Barcelona coach Xavi was hoping for a reaction from his side following their 4-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final last week, but they struggled to break down a resolute Girona defence that had only kept one other LaLiga clean sheet all season.
– Gazzaniga also had to clear the ball off his goalline after team mate Santiago Bueno played a stray back pass that would have nestled in the bottom corner, while Barca winger Raphinha fired wide when well placed at the back post.
– Home defender Eric Garcia headed over from a free kick when he should have scored, but the best chance of the second half fell to the visitors.
– Striker Taty Castellanos was played through one-on-one with Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but curled his shot wide when a simple square pass to team mate Viktor Tsygankov would have resulted in a tap-in for the latter.
FT: #BarçaGirona 0-0
💪 All square after a hard-fought Catalan derby.#LaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/fLQSJhXRJv
— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) April 10, 2023
📊 Here's how the #LaLigaSantander table looks after 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗱𝗮𝘆 2⃣8⃣. @socios | #TheFansGame pic.twitter.com/8f2Er8Kqkp
— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) April 10, 2023
– Barca travel to Getafe in their next fixture on Sunday, while Girona host Elche on the same day.
