Ronald Araujo, the unexpected hero for Barcelona, calls for increased chances in an attacking role after delivering a vital late winner
Saturday night saw Ronald Araujo rise as the surprise savior for Barcelona, scoring a dramatic stoppage-time goal that sealed a 2-1 victory over Girona, propelling Barça to the top spot in LaLiga.
The Uruguayan defender, brought on late in the match, dramatically secured all three points for his side. After the final whistle, he lightheartedly hinted that he might deserve more opportunities playing further up the pitch.
Araujo’s injury-time goal propels Barcelona to league summit
At the Estadi Olímpic, Girona seemed set to snatch a valuable draw until Araujo’s last-gasp strike swung the result in favor of Xavi‘s men. The defender couldn’t hide his grin reflecting on the rare goal.
“I’m mainly a defender, but maybe if I played as a forward, I’d score more often. Just kidding,” Araujo joked. “The coach even asked if I could play upfront. While warming up, I said, ‘If I come on, I’ll score,’ and everyone laughed. Well, that’s exactly what happened. I’m thrilled.”
Barcelona took the lead early through Pedri, who finished a slick passing move involving Lamine Yamal. Girona responded swiftly with a spectacular bicycle kick from Axel Witsel to level the match.
Both sides had chances to clinch victory, with efforts from Fermin Lopez and Marcus Rashford striking the woodwork before Araujo’s late intervention sealed the win.
Pre-match demonstration, fierce gameplay, and momentum building ahead of El Clásico
Before kickoff, players from both teams observed a 15-second pause to protest LaLiga’s contentious decision to move a December fixture between Villarreal and Barcelona to the United States.
Once the game began, Barcelona dominated possession and fashioned multiple scoring opportunities, but Girona’s resilient defense kept the contest intense throughout.
Thanks to Araujo’s decisive goal, Barcelona now leads Real Madrid by a single point, although the reigning champions hold a game in hand ahead of their upcoming clash at Getafe.
Buoyed by this confidence boost, Hansi Flick’s squad will soon turn their attention to their Champions League showdown with Olympiacos, followed by the eagerly awaited El Clásico next weekend-where Araujo may well push for another chance to feature in attack.