ValentÃn Taty Castellanos will hardly forget April 25. The Argentinian striker was able to make, by himself, a poker of goals in Real Madrid to give a resounding victory to a Girona that in passing virtually closed the permanence in Primera, in addition to leaving the League in a tray for the Boat.
Castellanos, who had just served a suspension in Valladolid and who after the match against Barça burst into tears for having conceded the winning goal at the Camp Nou, redeemed himself yesterday with two goals in the first half and two more in the second Only VinÃcius tried to impress Madrid and, controversies aside, scored the first goal and gifted the second to Lucas Vázquez when the match was over.
And that Carlo Ancelotti lined up almost the best eleven possible among all those who had boarded the plane, but not like that. The absence of goalkeeper Tibaut Courtois, who stayed in Madrid at the last minute due to gastroenteritis, was especially sensitive. His team missed him, although Lunin can’t be blamed for any of the goals they conceded either. Yes, Kroos, Modric, Valverde, Asensio and VinÃcius were there, and none of them were saved from the wreck in Montilivi despite having done better in the match.
In fact, after 30 seconds, VinÃcius could have given the visitors an advantage thanks to a spur shot that Juanpe was able to send for a corner. And just three minutes later it was Gazzaniga who had to stretch to deflect a dangerous shot from Valverde from outside the area. Two warnings in just 5 minutes, a prelude to what could await Girona if they didn’t use their five senses.
But he did it and once Madrid’s initial momentum was overcome, the locals began to stretch the lines and in the first step into the area Ivan MartÃn sent a pass back for the arrival of Miguel Gutiérrez, who put it with delicacy on the head of Taty Castellanos and he did not forgive. The ecstasy in Montilivi was total at the same time that despair – personified above all in the figure of VinÃcius – took hold of the whites. In the play after the goal, in fact, the Brazilian had it precisely with Castellanos and subsequently faced the public while touching the shield of the world champion, a gesture that Montilivi did not forgive him in the whole match , nor Santi Bueno, with whom he got involved right after.
But Girona knew how to take advantage of Madrid’s climate of bewilderment and a ball from Arnau MartÃnez from his own field was picked up by Castellanos, beating the back of a slow Militão to stand alone in front of Lunin and score the second. The local fans didn’t believe it and even less so when Tsygankov forgave another one to make it 3-0.
But Madrid got back into the game thanks to VinÃcius, who, coming from behind, headed in an Asensio cross (2-1).
After that and at the end of the break, VinÃcius himself caused Arnau to see a yellow card that will cause him to miss the next match at Sevilla’s field due to accumulation.
But that, after all, turned out to be just an anecdote on a night in which everything went right for Girona. Because right at the restart, in the first minute, Taty Castellanos again continued with his particularly glorious night by scoring a third goal, after finishing at the first touch a perfect cross from Yan Couto that Ivan MartÃn had previously let pass in a masterly manner.
The whites, without the ability to react, saw how the Girona players did practically what they wanted on the pitch and once again Castellanos sentenced them with another header that drove Montilivi crazy who couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
In the final minutes, Madrid could only make up the result thanks to a second goal, by Lucas Vázquez, after a good assist from VinÃcius.
