Lamine Yamal Shines as Barcelona Extend Perfect Start with Win Over Girona

Barcelona’s ruthless start to the season continued as they secured a 4-1 away victory over Girona, with 17-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal scoring twice.

Yamal opened the scoring in the 30th minute after dispossessing Girona’s David Lopez deep in his own half and lifting the ball over goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. Just seven minutes later, he doubled the lead with a composed first-time finish from the edge of the box, capitalizing on a rebound from Raphinha’s free-kick.

Girona, last season’s third-place finishers, thought they had a lifeline when a penalty was initially awarded after Bryan Gil’s header struck the arm of Barcelona’s Inigo Martinez. However, the decision was overturned following a video assistant referee review.

Barcelona continued to dominate, with Dani Olmo scoring in the 47th minute to make it 3-0. This goal made Olmo the first player to score in his first three league matches for Barcelona since Cesc Fabregas in 2011. Midfielder Pedri added a fourth 17 minutes later, slotting the ball past Gazzaniga after latching onto Marc Casado’s defense-splitting pass.

Girona managed a late consolation goal through substitute Cristhian Stuani, who scored a first-time finish inside the penalty area. However, the home side’s hopes dimmed further when Barcelona’s Ferran Torres, a former Manchester City winger, received a red card for a heavy challenge on Yaser Asprilla six minutes later.

This convincing win moved Hansi Flick’s Barcelona four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, marking their fifth consecutive victory of the season.