On July 24th, 2021, Barcelona take on Girona in the La Liga at Camp Nou. Barcelona are seeking to continue their dominance of the league, having lost just once in their last seven games, while Girona are looking to build on a superb second half to their season. The match will be the first competitive one between these two sides since the Girona Super Cup, a friendly played in June 2019 that Barcelona won comfortably by a single goal to nil.
As the best way to discuss football matches is to comment on the players and the formations they are using, I’m going to attempt to cover both of these aspects in this report. (If you’re interested or have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me via Twitter @Chrisguthrie.)
The match between FC Barcelona and RC Girona, always a fantastic match between two of Europe’s top clubs, will be played at the Camp Nou on July 24, 2021. FC Barcelona is the most successful club in the world, and one of the greatest football clubs in all of history. The club has won 8 La Liga titles, 3 Copa Del Rey titles, 2 Supercopa Del Rey titles, and the UEFA Champions League title. The club has also won numerous other titles, including the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the Intercontinental Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Barcelona beat Girona 3-1 in their second preseason encounter on Saturday, with summer acquisition Memphis Depay scoring on his debut at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.
Three of the four goals were scored on penalties, with Gerard Pique scoring the first in the 21st minute from the spot.
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Three minutes later, Rey Manaj made it 2-0 with a close-range goal, adding to his midweek hat-trick against Gimnastic de Tarragona.
Samu Saiz netted a penalty for Girona shortly before halfway, before Memphis added Barca’s third, again from the spot, late in the game. Memphis, who joined Barcelona on a free transfer from Lyon in June, came earlier this week.
Memphis Depay scored his first goal for Barcelona. Getty Images/Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto
Manaj began on the bench but was pulled off in the 35th minute with a head injury, thus he made his debut sooner than anticipated before halftime. Every time Memphis grabbed the ball, the roughly 3,000-strong audience in attendance erupted in applause.
With five minutes remaining, the Dutchman finally gave the supporters what they wanted, scoring a penalty past opposing goalkeeper Juan Carlos.
Memphis remarked after the game, “It’s amazing.” “I’m overjoyed to be wearing this jersey and to have received my first minutes for the club.” I had a great time with it. I enjoyed watching the people in the stadium because of their enthusiasm. I’m overjoyed.
“At Barca, I’m sure everyone has high hopes. I’m going to put in a lot of effort and hope to have a lot of fun with these people. I play football to amuse the crowd. I want to bring a lot of innovation to the table. To score and create goals, I constantly try to locate space between the lines and behind the defense.”
Antoine Griezmann, Clement Lenglet, Miralem Pjanic, and Frenkie de Jong were all left on the bench for the opening 60 minutes of the encounter, but Ronald Koeman still named a formidable lineup. Sergino Dest, a US international, got his second preseason start, while Pique, Sergi Roberto, and Riqui Puig were all engaged from the start.
Cristhian Stuani of Girona forced a great save from Inaki Pena early on, and teenage left-back Alejandro Balde made a crucial block to prevent the follow-up from going in before Barca seized control. At the opposite end, Balde was fouled as he danced into the area, and Pique sneaked the penalty in by stealing the ball from Manaj. The combination of Puig and Nils Mortimer then set up Manaj’s fourth goal of the preseason.
Girona grabbed a goal back with Manaj out due to a head injury. After Nils handled the ball at a corner, Saiz chipped a penalty down the center, and the Girona striker nearly equalized minutes later, striking the crossbar from 25 yards.
With Memphis on, though, the mood changed, and Barca began to generate opportunities with ease.
Memphis came within a whisker of scoring twice, forcing a save from Juan Carlos before driving just wide. Griezmann came close to joining in, while Pjanic smashed the crossbar with a free-kick from 30 yards.
Griezmann was then hauled down in the area, and the new signing grabbed the ball as the fans shouted ‘Memphis,’ capping a spectacular debut.
The match between Barcelona and Girona is set to kick off at 21:05 (CET). It’s a crucial match for the former as they try to keep their hopes of winning the league alive, and the latter as they try to get closer to European qualification.. Read more about barcelona news today and let us know what you think.
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