Barcelona beats Girona in stoppage time and Flick to miss clasico after sending off

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Substitute Ronald Araújo snatched Barcelona a 2-1 victory over Girona in stoppage time in La Liga on Saturday and ended a mini losing streak before the clasico at Real Madrid next week.

The central defender made the move of a striker when he slid in front of his marker as they raced to the near post and skillfully redirected a low pass from Frenkie de Jong to ignite the home crowd.

Araújo's last-gasp goal came moments after Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was sent off with two quick yellow cards apparently for complaining that the referee had not added more than four minutes of injury time.

The referee's report said Flick protested one of his decisions with ironic clapping and with “gestures of disapproval.” Flick said his actions were not directed at the referee.

The sending off means Flick won’t be on the sideline for the first clasico of the season.

With his team stymied in attack and scorers Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Ferran Torres unavailable because of injury, Flick sent on Araújo in the 82nd and ordered him to join the attack in their desperate search for a winner.

“I am really happy for Ronald because he always plays with his whole heart for this team,” Flick said. “I spoke to him to ask if it was possible for him to play at this position."

Araújo said that he “didn't hesitate” when his coach asked him if he could help in attack.

“Girona took it to us really well and had several chances, but the important thing is that we stuck with it to the end and showed the fight that our fans want from us,” Araújo said. “We knew that we were coming from two tough losses but that with hunger and work we knew that we could win before a big week.”

Before the international break, Barcelona lost to Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the Champions League and was stunned at Sevilla 4-1 in La Liga.

Barcelona moved into the league lead with a one-point advantage over Madrid before it plays Getafe on Sunday. Before the trip to the capital, Barcelona hosts Olympiakos on Tuesday in the Champions League.

Pedri González gave Barcelona the lead with an exquisite goal in the 13th, sliding an angled ball back across the area and inside the near post without looking at the target.

But Barcelona’s control collapsed after Axel Witsel equalized seven minutes later with an acrobatic bicycle kick to whip a loose high ball off the turf and past Wojciech Szczęsny.

Only Szczęsny’s saves and some poor marksmanship by Girona kept the visitors from taking the lead before halftime after it was able to mount repeated counterattacks after Barcelona lost possession. Cristian Portu hit the post, Bryan Gil squandered a point-blank chance, and Witsel grazed the posts.

Girona then needed goalie Paulo Gazzaniga to turn back shots by Fermín López and Marcus Rashord before Araújo clinched the result.

“It's a hard blow because in the last minutes they could only hurt us with crosses,” Girona coach Míchel Sánchez said. “We cleared two and the third one they put it in.”

Lamine Yamal played just over an hour for Barcelona after he returned from a groin area injury that forced him to miss the loss at Sevilla and two World Cup qualifiers for Spain.

Flick gave a La Liga debut to 17-year-old forward Toni Fernández in his starting lineup. He was substituted for Fermín at halftime. Dani Olmo was also out injured.

Antony netted a double, including an injury-time equalizer, to lead Real Betis back from two goals down in a 2-2 draw at Villarreal.

Atletico Madrid edged Osasuna 1-0 at home after Giuliano Simeone set up Thiago Almada to score midway through the second half.

Mallorca escaped last place after Mateo Joseph scored twice in six minutes to fuel a 3-1 win at Sevilla.

All four games started with players not playing until 15 seconds after kickoff to show their opposition to La Liga's plan to hold a regular season game between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami in December.

During Sevilla's game, a group of fans displayed a large banner denouncing the recent suicide of a teenage girl who suffered bullying at a Seville high school. The club also sent a message of support for the victims of bullying on X.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Barcelona's Marcus Rashford shoots during a La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Girona in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's head coach Hansi Flick reacts during a La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Girona in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong hugs Ronald Araujo after a goa; during a La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Girona in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Ronald Araujo celebrates after scoring during a La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Girona in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona players celebrate after a La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Girona in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

U.S. forces on Monday launched an effort to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds have been stuck since the Iran war began.

Two American-flagged merchant ships have “successfully transited” through the critical waterway, the U.S. military said. Separately, the U.S. military denied Iran’s claims that it struck an American Navy vessel southeast of the strait.

Iran handed over its latest proposal for negotiations with the U.S. to mediators in Pakistan, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday. Trump subsequently said he’s “not satisfied” with it, but did not elaborate on the proposal’s apparent shortcomings. The shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has lasted for three weeks.

Here's the latest:

The U.S. stock market is holding tentatively near its record heights Monday, while oil prices climb with uncertainty about when oil tankers can resume crossing the Strait of Hormuz and restore the world’s flow of crude. Dueling claims about a possible Iranian strike on a U.S. Navy vessel in the strait heightened the tensions.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 216 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%.

The action was stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude climbed 2% to $110.37 and briefly topped $114 during the morning. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to its war with the United States has kept oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide. That in turn has sent the price of Brent soaring from roughly $70 per barrel before the war.

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Rubio will travel to Rome and Vatican City this week in a bid to ease rising tensions between the Trump administration and Pope Leo over U.S. policies, particularly with Iran.

The State Department said Monday that Rubio, a devout Catholic who’s visited Rome and the Vatican at least three times since becoming Trump’s top diplomat, would be in Italy on Thursday and Friday.

“Secretary Rubio will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere” the department said. “Meetings with Italian counterparts will be focused on shared security interests and strategic alignment.”

The trip comes as Trump has criticized Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, for his stances on the Middle East and elsewhere and posting social media images likening Trump to Jesus Christ.

The disruption of the waterway has squeezed countries in Europe and Asia that depend on Persian Gulf oil and gas, raising prices far beyond the region.

Trump has promised to bring down gas prices as he faces midterm elections this year.

The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran for transit of the strait. It has enacted a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, telling 49 commercial ships to turn back, U.S. Central Command said Sunday. The blockade has deprived Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.

U.S. officials have expressed hope the blockade forces Iran back to the negotiation table.

The U.S. military said Monday that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz and Navy guided-missile destroyers in the Persian Gulf were helping to restore shipping traffic. It separately denied Iran’s claims to have struck an American Navy vessel.

The announcement came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new initiative to help guide ships through the critical waterway for global energy. Iran has effectively closed the strait since the U.S. and Israel started the war Feb. 28, rattling the global economy.

The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center has advised ships to cross the strait in Oman’s waters, saying it set up an “enhanced security area.” U.S. Central Command didn’t say when the Navy ships arrived or when the merchant vessels departed.

It was unclear whether shipping companies, and their insurers, will feel comfortable taking the risk given that Iran has fired on ships in the waterway and vowed to keep doing so.

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President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. step off from Marine One upon their arrival on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

President Donald Trump walks from Marine One to board Air Force One at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala Fla., Friday, May 1, 2026, after speaking at an event in The Villages, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

President Donald Trump steps off from Marine One upon his arrival at the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)