La Liga Roundup: Pedri leads win at Girona in 100th game for Barcelona
BARCELONA, Spain — Pedri marked his one centesimal Barcelona look by scoring to squeeze previous Girona 1-0 and enhance their lead of the Spanish league on Saturday.
The 20-year-old Pedri began on the bench as Xavi rotated his lineup forward of a busy week, however the playmaker changed the injured Ousmane Dembele within the twenty fifth minute.
Girona stymied the league front-runner till Pedri’s fellow substitute, Jordi Alba, discovered him with a low cross at shut vary within the 61st. Pedri, who gained the 2021 Golden Boy for the continent’s most promising under-21 participant, is taken into account one of many pillars of Barcelona’s post-Messi rebuild. The Spain midfielder has scored six instances this season.
Xavi’s staff moved six factors away from Real Madrid earlier than the titleholder hosts third-placed Real Sociedad on Sunday on the Liga’s halfway level.
Dembele requested to be substituted after he was apparently bothered by his left thigh following a dash. Barcelona has but to present any data on his standing. He walked off the sphere and watched the remainder of the sport from the dugout.
The France ahead, who suffered a sequence of accidents in his first seasons with Barcelona, has prevented severe harm since coming back from a knee difficulty in November 2021.
Xavi stated was Dembele injured however the nature of it gained’t be identified till an examination on Sunday.
“It is too bad because he is one of our most decisive players,” Xavi stated about his speedy winger. Dembele has eight objectives on this marketing campaign and is Barcelona’s finest one-on-one attacker in open area.
That left Barcelona with out its prime two scorers. Robert Lewandowski, who leads the league with 13 objectives, accomplished a three-game league suspension. Forward Ferran Torres was additionally suspended.
With Ansu Fati and Raphinha unable to generate a lot in assault, Xavi despatched on Jordi Alba at halftime at left again for Marcos Alonso to assist discover a breakthrough.
A sequence of one-touch passes freed Alba down the left flank to sq. the ball throughout the goalmouth, the place goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga let it slip by means of his palms and Pedri ensured Barcelona prolonged its profitable streak to eight video games throughout all competitions.
Girona, in twelfth place, did nothing in assault till a late push. Ivan Martin was left extensive open in entrance of the purpose within the 86th, solely to volley a cross excessive and extensive.
Girona coach Michel was despatched off in stoppage time with a direct purple card for vehemently protesting what he thought was a foul on considered one of his gamers.
“We made a huge effort and played a good game,” Michel stated. “We only threatened them two or three times, but they only had that one chance that they converted. With what we saw on the field the defeat is not fair.”
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