All it took was one simple question from Hansi Flick to Ronald Araújo that eventually led to Barcelona’s 2–1 victory over Girona: “Can you play striker?”
The defending Spanish champions found themselves deadlocked in a 1–1 draw at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Saturday afternoon. Pedri’s opener in the 13th minute was soon matched by Axel Witsel’s acrobatic strike in the 20th minute, with both sides then struggling to find the go-ahead goal.
Without the injured Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, Barcelona had to get creative or risk dropping points in a third consecutive game. Flick replaced Marc Casadó with Araújo in the 82nd minute, giving the center back full rein to play alongside Marcus Rashford up top.
The German manager’s gamble paid off when Araújo bagged the winner in the 93rd minute to claim all three points for the Spanish giants.
After the match, the Uruguay international told :“Everyone knows I used to play as a striker. I think if I played as a striker I could score a lot more goals. When the coach asked me, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“I said ‘if I get in, I’ll score a goal,’ and everyone laughed afterward when I scored. I work hard to be able to play for the team, so I’m happy about that,” Araújo said.
