It was not Lamine’s night, and by extension not Barcelona’s. Hansi Flick’s side, who needed to recover after the blow at the Metropolitano, left Montilivi even more shaken — dropping points in a 2–1 loss and surrendering the lead to Real Madrid. The match was not free of controversy, notably Echeverri’s pressure on Koundé that preceded Fran Beltrán’s goal; overall the Blaugrana offered a poor display.
The turning point came in first‑half stoppage time when Blind came from behind and committed a foul on Dani Olmo, earning a penalty. Raphinha handed the spot‑kick to Lamine, but the Rocafonda youngster adjusted his shot and hit the post. Psychologically it was a heavy setback: had Barcelona gone into the break ahead, the story might have been different, while Girona grew bolder.
About 1,300 km away in Lisbon, Madrid were at the Estádio da Luz preparing to face Benfica — the same ground where, just 20 days earlier, a goal by Trubin had sent them to the brink and condemned them, for a second consecutive year, to play the Champions play‑off. Minutes after Lamine’s miss, Real’s official X account posted a video of their players practising shots at goal with the caption “¡Afinando puntería!”. The message and timing suggested the post was no coincidence but an indirect, ironic jab after the young Barça player’s error — an error that also handed Real the leadership.
Barcelona must recover from these two consecutive away setbacks, with three home matches ahead: Levante and Villarreal in LaLiga and the Copa semi second leg against Atlético at the Spotify Camp Nou. Real face two intense weeks with the double tie against Benfica and a trip to El Sadar — the title race has entered a decisive phase.
