Barcelona secured a dramatic 2-1 victory against Girona in a thrilling La Liga encounter, thanks to a last-gasp goal from substitute Ronald Araújo. The win, achieved in the 93rd minute, propelled Barcelona to the top of the league table, edging out Real Madrid by a single point, although Real Madrid have a game in hand.

The match at Camp Nou was a Catalan derby filled with tension and drama. Barcelona started strong, with Pedri González opening the scoring in the 13th minute. A brilliant exchange with Lamine Yamal saw Pedri precisely place a left-footed shot into the bottom corner of the net. However, Girona responded swiftly, with Axel Witsel leveling the score just seven minutes later with an acrobatic bicycle kick.

The equalizer shifted the momentum, and Girona began to threaten, exposing vulnerabilities in the Barcelona defense. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny was called into action, making crucial saves to keep the scores level. Barcelona also had their chances, with Marcus Rashford and Fermin Lopez hitting the woodwork either side of halftime. A goal by Pau Cubarsi was ruled out for offside.

As the clock ticked down, frustration grew among the Barcelona players and fans. The tension spilled over when Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was sent off for dissent, receiving two quick yellow cards for arguing about the amount of added time. Flick will now miss the upcoming El Clasico against Real Madrid.

However, just as it seemed Barcelona would drop points, Araújo stepped up to become the hero. In the third minute of stoppage time, the central defender slid in front of his marker to redirect a low cross from Frenkie de Jong into the net, sparking wild celebrations on the Barcelona bench and in the stands. "Happy for the win, it was important to get three points ahead of the next match,” Araújo told DAZN.

The late victory was crucial for Barcelona, especially after recent setbacks, including a 2-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and a 4-1 defeat to Sevilla in La Liga. The win also marked Barcelona's best scoring run in history, having now scored in 46 consecutive matches in all competitions.

Despite the victory, the match highlighted some concerns for Barcelona. The absence of key players like Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, and Dani Olmo due to injury forced Flick to give a La Liga debut to 17-year-old forward Toni Fernández. While Barcelona managed to secure the win, they only narrowly edged Girona on expected goals, accumulating 1.86 compared to their visitor's 1.84.