FC Barcelona 6-1 Girona: 5 Talking Points
Score: FC Barcelona 6-1 Girona
Goalscorers: Portu 3' (Girona); Luis Suarez 5', 44', 76' (Barcelona), Lionel Messi 30', 36' (Barcelona), Philippe Coutinho 66' (Barcelona)
Everything that could have gone right went right for FC Barcelona against Girona as the league leaders registered a crushing 6-1 win over the newcomers. It was the first Catalan derby between these two sides at Camp Nou, and Girona had the best possible start when Portu gave the visitors a lead after just 130 odd seconds into the game.
But Barcelona soon got on the act and emphatically replied with four goals in the first half. Eventually, Luis Suarez netted a hattrick, Lionel Messi scored a brace and Philippe Coutinho scored his trademark long-range goal. With this victory, Barcelona are now 10 points clear at the summit of La Liga.
So, without further ado, let's delve right into the match details and discuss the key talking points that emerged from Barcelona's 6-1 thumping of their rivals:
#5 FC Barcelona create history
Going into this game, FC Barcelona had not lost in their previous 31 encounters. With a win over Girona, the Catalans have now achieved their best unbeaten run of all time. These 32 league matches include just 5 draws and a staggering total of 27 victories.
This Barcelona side beat the record set by Pep Guardiola's Barcelona side of 2011 which went 31 matches unbeaten in La Liga. The 2011 side is rightfully considered as arguably the best ever Barcelona side and to match that feat is a humongous achievement by Ernesto Valverde and his men.
Lionel Messi also created a bit of history in this game as his assist to Luis Suarez for Barcelona's opening goal saw him become La Liga's highest ever assist provider. He has 148 league assists to his name so far.