The question is legitimate, and is repeated day after day: how far will this Girona, as surprising as it is majestic, be able to go?
Are you going to continue showing your fangs in the noble picture?
Are you going to continue flirting with the leadership of LaLiga, a fact that was unthinkable years ago, perhaps ten or fifteen years ago, when you were struggling between Second B and Third, a fact that you had never achieved before, never in 93 years of history?
Let everyone assume as they please, but for Girona, the challenge is not great.
On the contrary: he bulls it.
In reality, he is passionate about it, perhaps he carries it in his football DNA, that spirit that he draws from his older brother, Manchester City, and that is projected onto his game, a game of a player, starting with the ball under control, not even a single kick. in the air, of a desire for possession, of offensive pressure, of recycling of talents (Oriol Romeu is leaving? Well, Yangel Herrera is regenerated or Aleix García is enlarged) and offensive resources: how Tsygankov, the finisher Dovbyk, bite the infinite Stuani and the phenomenal Sàvio, alias Savinho.
Nothing scares Míchel’s team, a team that exhumes charisma from its pores. This team is out, they are not scared either in La Cerámica, a classic stadium in LaLiga, the stage where Parejo and Albiol have shined for years and, not so long ago, Capoué, Yeremi Pino and the magnificent Álex Baena, the soul of the submarine, as disenchanted in the second period of the game as Baena had become.
It is true that Villarreal is not going through a sweet moment, but on this occasion, against Girona, they had taken the matter tremendously: after all, they have lost three of their four home games so far this season .
Villarreal plays in the first half, does not raffle the ball, does not give it to Girona, who starts timid and sleepy: there are attempts by Savinho, but his last movements die in the shot or in the center, sometimes misguided, sometimes unassisted Sometimes, Savinho gets the better of vehemence, a sin of youth.
The game takes place within those parameters. It sets off from the serve, but accelerates after the break, when Villarreal insists and squeezes in an addition from Capoué on the right side. He finds Iván Martín, who puts his foot and hip and Capoué falls and the referee gives a penalty. Parejo shoots poorly, weakly and centered, but Gazzaniga swallows the shot and the debate comes to the stage: how far is this Girona capable of going?
Míchel, the coach, responds: he is brave. He brings in Portu and Yan Couto and Girona spreads like an accordion. He suddenly verticalizes himself, reaching the frame of Jorgensen, the Danish goalkeeper, again and again, who trembles and ends up receiving boos from the stands.
Girona has the makings of a great team. He does not shrink, he envelops the submarine, which submerges and no longer shows its head. Villarreal dominates the scoreboard, but they don’t believe it and it doesn’t last long either. The mirage dissipates just seven minutes later. Twice Girona has arrived, and the third time Savinho reappears: he is in the 56th minute when he launches a curling cross that finds Dovbyk and the tie bogs down Villarreal, once again stumbling at La Cerámica.
Girona smells the weaknesses of Villarreal, a boxer on the verge of KO, and delivers the second blow in a flash. The one who grows now is Aleix García, another inspired man, another thread and now Eric García rises: 18 goals for Girona, eleven of their players have already scored on some occasion.
His goal demolishes Villarreal, whose faith has evaporated a few minutes ago. Baena no longer resurfaces and Yeremi Pino and Capoué have left, and now Stuani, brought in in the 69th, presses all of Girona’s offensive keys. He has chained three consecutive occasions, a tremendous headache for Villarreal, in whose ranks Pacheta compromises, increasingly questioned in his role:
–We are not well –he confesses.
Girona shines, these are its times, we will see how long it lasts up there, but someone has already marked the notch in the trunk of the tree.
Villarreal: Jorgensen, Foyth, Albiol (Gabbia, min. 77), Mandi, Pedraza, Yeremi Pino (Ilias Akhomach, min. 58), Parejo (Trigueros, min. 87), Capoue (Ramón Terrats, min. 58), Álex Baena, Morales (Brereton Díaz, min. 78) and Sorloth.
Girona: Gazzaniga, Arnau (Yan Couto, min. 52), Eric García (Blind, min. 87), David López, Miguel; Aleix García, Yangel Herrera, Iván Martín (Portu, min. 52), Tsygankov (Solís, min. 87), Sávio and Dovbyk (Stuani, min. 69).
Goals: 1-0, min. 48: Even, penalty. 1-1, min. 53: Dovbyk. 1-2, min. 61: Eric García.
Referee: Sánchez Martínez (Murciano Committee). He showed yellow cards to Yeremi Pino, Álex Baena and Brereton Díaz for Villarreal and to Yangel Herrera and Miguel for Girona.
Incidents: Match corresponding to the seventh day of LaLiga EA Sports played at the La Cerámica stadium in Vila-real in front of 17,188 spectators
