Girona began its fourth season in the First Division, the second in a row, with a hard-fought and creditable draw in a difficult move like Anoeta. Montilivi’s men saved a point thanks to their new Ukrainian connection and the magic of Pablo Torre that has started to work. A triangulation between the three, with assistance from Tsygankov and a header from Dovbyk made it 1-1 with 20 minutes to go.
“Dovbyk is a closet, it will be difficult for the rival defenses to stop him,” commented Aleix García about Girona’s 26-year-old star reinforcement. The Catalan team has spent 7 million euros on their transfer from Dnipro; the most expensive transfer in the club’s history.
The duel started with an early goal from Real Sociedad as a result of their pressure. Aihen Muñoz intercepted a pass in the center of the field, the left side marked a superb ride of more than 50 meters with a cross into the area for the arrival of Take Kubo, who with a placed touch with his left leg beat Gazzaniga without stopping. The Catalan defensive system was evident, since nobody came out on the side.
In just five minutes the game was put downhill for Real, who was able to extend the account before the quarter hour. The referee Hernández Maeso, rookie in the First Division, signaled a penalty from Daley Blind to Oyarzabal. The Dutch central defender arrived late at the crossroads -the striker put his toe in earlier-, they collided, the man from San Sebastian fell and the referee from Extremadura sensed a penalty. However, the VAR review invalidated the punishment, as the referee understood that the defender did not commit any offense and it was a fortuitous collision.
Saved from the 2-0 disaster in 12 minutes, Girona tried to follow their combinative game script, touch and possession that characterized them as one of the most gamer teams last year, but seemed to have forgotten how to do it. It was difficult for him to find the pass to get the ball out, very tight by Real in the three-quarter area of ??the field. He lacked the clairvoyance of the midfielder Oriol Romeu, one of the sensitive casualties this season, along with the gunpowder of Rodrigo Riquelme and Taty Castellanos. So Míchel entrusted the task of distributor pivot to Aleix García, supported by Yangel Herrera. Without much success.
The first Catalan approach to the Remiro area took 20 minutes; It was a ball hanging looking for Stuani’s head that the goalkeeper cleared. It was the resource most persecuted by his teammates, although it was difficult to contact the Uruguayan, surrounded by legs from San Sebastian.
At least, through possession, Girona avoided the approaches of Real, which did not disturb Gazzaniga again until after half an hour with a long shot from Kubo (34m) that went over the crossbar.
The Catalan team, which was gradually gaining ground, was about to equalize after 45 minutes, on the brink of halftime. Aleix García put a free-kick at the far post, Miguel Gutiérrez assisted with a header and neither Blind nor Stuani arrived.
A minute later there was a judo wrestling action in the area between Stuani and Le Normand –a regular at the caught dance-, settled with a blow from the Uruguayan to the Frenchman’s face and both on the ground. The referee resolved it with a double yellow card and the half-time whistle signaling the way to the changing rooms.
The Royal Society reappeared looking for the sentence. Carlos Fernández tried the long distance shot (m.49), without aim, after stealing from Arnau Martínez; the great evil of Girona, the losses in a sensitive area.
Míchel, seeing that his team was not going off the rails and was progressively recoiling from the push from San Sebastian, made a move to reorganize the attack. In one go he brought on two of the novelties of this summer, the ex-Blaugrana Pablo Torre in the midfielder and the Ukrainian Dovbyk of nine, and Valery.
Gazzaniga avoided making it 2-0 with his feet on a free shot from Oyarzabal (68m). The San Sebastián captain had received a terrific pass into the hole from Brais Méndez, winning the back of a defense from Girona that was weak.
And from a possible 2-0 to 1-1 in just four minutes. The Ukrainian connection appeared at the start of Pablo Torre’s play. The Spaniard opened up to the right towards Tsygankov, who put a measured cross to the far post, where Dovbyk was held in the air to finish off a header into the net. Excellent quality triangulation and a great understanding between the two Ukrainians that rewarded Míchel’s offensive commitment.
The last of the game was at 94 Olasagasti, who sent a loose ball away, only against Gazzaniga, after an erratic shot by Sadiq. He saved Girona’s neck in that last action to start adding.
Real Sociedad: Remiro, Traoré (Alex Sola 74), Zubeldia, Le Normand, Aihen Muñoz, Beñat Turientes (Olasagasti 80), Zubimendi, Brais Méndez, Oyarzabal (Sadiq 74), Carlos Fernández (Barrenetxea 59) and Take Kubo (Ali- Cho 74).
Girona: Gazzaniga, Arnau Martínez (Espinosa 91), David López, Blind, Miguel Ortega, Yan Couto (Pablo Torre 64), Yangel Herrera (Iván Martín 86), Aleix García, Sávio (Valery 64), Tsygankov and Stuani (Dovbyk 64 ).
Referee: Hernández Maeso (Extremadura). Yellow cards for Arnau Martínez, Stuani and Miguel Gutiérrez, from Girona, and Le Normand, Sadiq and Olasagasti, from Real.
Goals: 1-0 Take Kubo (5); 1-1 Dovbyk (73).
Field: Reale Arena, 30,848 spectators.
