In the 86th minute, Fran Beltran scored for Girona, sealing a 2-1 victory for the home team. But before this play, coach Hansi Flick thought that Claudio Echeverri had fouled Jules Kounde. This defeat caused Barcelona to drop to second place in the LaLiga standings, two points behind the leading team Real Madrid.
When asked if he thought Beltran's goal should have been disallowed, Hansi Flick shared: "I don't want to talk about it. Everyone saw the situation before the second goal was scored, but Girona deserved to win. We defended very poorly, especially in transitions, we were too careless, our midfield was not in the right position.
Of course the foul is obvious, but maybe I would talk more about it if we played well, but Barca didn't play well. Complaining sounds like just an excuse. I don't want that. We have to play better. We have to return to our best form”.
The defeat to Girona further exacerbated a terrible week for Barça after they were defeated 4-0 by Atletico in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals not long ago.
Barcelona took the lead at Girona's Montilivi stadium when Cubarsi headed in the opening goal right at the beginning of the second half, after Lamine Yamal missed a penalty right before halftime.
However, Girona played better after being led in an open and exciting match, with Lemar equalizing almost immediately after Cubarsi's opening goal and newcomer Beltran completing a comeback in the final minutes.
We are in a bad time. I will give the whole team two days off. The important thing is that they have to rest. The players are really tired. Perhaps if they controlled the ball better, made fewer mistakes, today's match would be different.
It may be due to fatigue, but we must have a desire to win. After the defeat to Atletico, winning today is very important. We did not do that.
Everyone is disappointed. We will fight. We have time to come back in the next two weeks because there are no midweek matches.
We will train well and return for the match against Levante at Camp Nou. We have to fight and aim for the top spot," Hansi Flick concluded.
