Barcelona lost to Girona 2-1 on Monday night in La Liga, suffering their second straight loss.
However, the outcome was very controversial because Fran Beltran’s winning goal in the 86th minute was set up by a clear foul on Jules Kounde, which the referee failed to call.
Barca were subsequently condemned to a significant defeat because VAR did not step in to stop play for the foul, allowing the goal to stand.
Girona Manager Michel’s Opinion
According to Barca Universal, in an interview with the media following the game, Girona manager Michel expressed his happiness with his team’s performance against Barcelona while downplaying the contentious moment that resulted in the game-winning goal.
“It was a counter-attack; I think Claudio went for the ball. Claudio didn’t go in with his studs, he went in with the inside of his foot to try and win the ball,” he explained.
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“If they call a foul, that’s fine by me, but it’s good that VAR didn’t intervene. It’s very unfair to focus on just one play, considering the game we played,” Michel added.
“The win was crucial because there’s a group of ten teams fighting to avoid relegation, and beating Barça is very difficult; they win 90% of their matches. We played a fantastic game; I really enjoyed it against such a formidable opponent,” he said.
He also highlighted the collective effort against a top-level opponent, saying: “If we look at the stats, Barça ran a lot. We made them run back and they suffered more than they should have.
“It’s a 10 out of 10 for the players; the credit isn’t mine because they’re the ones who dared to do everything I asked of them.”
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