Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal scored two goals, leading to a big 4-1 over Girona on Sunday. It a great match! Atletico Madrid also had an easy time, beating Valencia 3-0. This win lets them catch up with Real Madrid, who sit in second place. Barcelona, coached by Hansi Flick, has now won all five of their games. They were eager to bounce back after losing twice to Girona last season.
In the first half, Yamal shined. He opened the scoring after Dani Olmo and Pedri Gonzalez added goals in the second half to extend the lead. Cristhian Stuani got one back for Girona, but it just wasn’t enough.
Girona had a tough summer, losing some star players, which made coach Michel Sanchez have to rebuild the team from scratch.
Under Flick’s leadership, Barcelona seemed stronger than ever! “You can definitely see our confidence. When we have the ball, we can really play & create chances,” Flick shared excitedly with reporters after the match.
Before scoring, both Yamal & Robert Lewandowski had some close attempts! Yamal, who helped Spain win at Euro 2024 this summer, finally broke through after 30 minutes. He took advantage of David Lopez’s mistake and scored with style against Paulo Gazzaniga.
Flick praised his team’s focus, saying: “We pressed them well—giving them space just gets us into trouble.”
Yamal’s second goal came just before halftime when he finished nicely from outside the box following a cleared free-kick. Early in the second half, Olmo made it even better for Barca with a tricky shot from a tight angle—he’s now got three goals from three La Liga games!
Pedri added another goal after Marc Casado played him through skillfully—he calmly rounded Gazzaniga before scoring.
Stuani pulled one back in the end for Girona but not much could dim Barcelona's glow. Ferran Torres was red-carded late in the game for a high tackle on Yaser Asprilla—but it was just a small bump in their ride.
On Saturday, Real Madrid held off against Real Sociedad with a 2-0 win. They now sit second with four points behind Barcelona! For Girona? It's a disappointing seventh place after Sunday's match—and they are gearing up for their first Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain!
Stuani said they need to move past this loss quickly because this week is all about excitement for that historic match ahead!
Meanwhile, at Atletico Madrid, Conor Gallagher & Julian Alvarez each netted their first goals as Atletico beat Valencia comfortably! Antoine Griezmann scored early for them too.
Gallagher’s goal came in minute 39 thanks to Rodrigo de Paul’s clever pass that slipped through Valencia's defense. “Conor played really well; he brings so much intensity,” said Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Atletico kept pushing in the second half. Griezmann took advantage of a loose ball shortly after halftime and scored again! Later on, Alvarez came off the bench and tapped home to celebrate his first goal in five matches with his new team.
“I’m thrilled with our win... getting my first goal helps build confidence and support our team,” Alvarez said happily after!
“I never feel pressure—I’m always ready when I’m needed!”
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