Girona will play a playoff final for the third consecutive season. After losing the first leg on Thursday in Montilivi against a clearly superior Eibar (0-1), the Girona team achieved the miracle by winning 0-2 in Ipurua, thanks to goals from Borja García and Stuani, the latter already in the extension.
Aware of the difficulty, since Míchel’s men were obliged to win at least two goals difference to qualify, the Catalans found themselves 0-1 shortly after the start, which equalized the tie. Borja García, who had been absent in the first leg due to physical problems, unleashed an impressive volley from outside the area that allowed the Girona team to believe, even more, in the comeback.
Despite this morning goal, Míchel did not change his plans and the team continued to play without complexes, going for the game and pressing the rival very high, partly thanks to the continued mobility in attack of Nahuel Bustos, who relegated top scorer Stuani to the bench. As a result, Eibar was much more uncomfortable than in the first leg and was rarely able to approach the rival goal in danger during the first half.
In the final moments, Borja suffered from his inconvenience and, after the break, had to give his place on the field to Aleix Garcia. Despite the setback, Girona came out better again and Arnau was about to score the second, after a cross from Valery.
As the minutes passed, Eibar regained control and in the last quarter of an hour, Juan Carlos became the main protagonist saving Girona, first with a miraculous hand after a great header by Blanco Leschuk and, more late, rejecting a ball bounced by the Girona defense. Before finishing, Stoichkvov still had time to hit the crossbar that would have qualified Eibar and prevented the tie from going into extra time. And it was at the beginning of extra time when Stuani, who had come out fresh in the 75th minute, was once again decisive for Girona, scoring the final 0-2 with his head, a goal conceded by the VAR and which gave the qualification for the grand final, a two-legged match, against Tenerife.
0 – Eibar: Stonemason, Strap, Venance, Chema. Arbilla (Toño Garcia, m.99), Sergio (Fran Sol, m.100), Exposito, Corps (Rahmani, m.76), Aketxe (Javi Munoz, m.77), Stoichkov (Quique Gonzalez, m.106) and White Leschuk (Fernando Llorente, m.106).
2 – Girona: Juan Carlos, Arnau, Bueno, Bernardo, Juanpe, Valery (Terrats, m.106), Borja (Aleix García, m.46), Pol Lozano (Víctor, m.87), Iván (Jairo, m. 74), Bustos (Stuani, m.74) and Alex (Samu Saiz, m.91).
Goals: 0-1, m.1: Borja García. 0-2, m.91: Stuani.
Referee: Juan Luis Pulido Santana (Las Palmas Committee). He admonished the locals Sergio (m.27) and Corpas (m.48), and the visitors Juanpe (m.28), Arnau (m.90), Juan Carlos (m.102) and Stuani (m.119) .
Incidents: Ipurua hung up the no-ticket sign again, with the public turning to support their team. There was also a large delegation of Girona fans, who were noted on the pitch with their red and white shirts and applause for their team. A total of 6,846 spectators gathered in the stands.
