Girona is recently promoted, but in Vallecas they once again showed that their football and their competitiveness have nothing to do with their little experience in the First Division. The people from Girona, outmatched in the first half by a more intense Rayo, were able to kiss the canvas in an indirect penalty executed between Trejo and Isi, a genius that ended with the ball flying into the clouds and provoked a reaction from Míchel’s team, who returned to which was his house.
Tsygankov, with a double, rescued a point that keeps Montilivi’s men in no man’s land, far away to dream of Europe and with a minimum income that allows them to look at the relegation zone with a certain amount of calm.
Iraola’s pupils, who had not seen the goal for three games, came out in a rush in search of the goal. Comesaña started the Rayista approach with a shot into the side of the net. Lejeune followed with a header against the post and Trejo was one dribble away from signing a great individual move. The visitors tried unsuccessfully to get rid of the high pressure from Rayo who opened the scoring with a great goal from Isi. The winger tried a first shot that Gazzaniga saved without any problems and minutes later he corrected the crosshairs to hit a powerful shot from distance that slipped into the top corner.
Girona, in their first dangerous chance, managed to equalize the game on a cross from Riquelme that Taty Castellanos headed in and Tsygankov finished off into the net after picking up the rebound. The goal did not stop the momentum of the locals, who continued to insist until they took advantage of a lack of defensive coordination to advance again. David López left his zone to try to steal the ball, Oriol Romeu covered him and in the positional readjustment the central defender arrived late by tenths of a second to cover Trejo’s shot into the squad, the same one that saw the ball enter from Isi.
Rayo was able to put land in the middle before the break in an unfortunate play by Arnau Martínez, who slipped and committed a penalty on Álvaro García. However, the Madrid team missed the opportunity twice. Gazzaniga guessed Trejo’s intentions from eleven meters away, but the maximum penalty was repeated when Rodrigo Riquelme advanced, who cleared the ball. On the second, the Rayista captain wanted to do Cruyff’s, Messi’s and Suárez’s, giving the ball to an Isi who sent it out.
After the restart, Míchel fixed the problem that Isi was causing them on the right flank with the entry of Toni Villa and Javi Hernández, who, in addition to containing the winger, placed the cross that meant the tie, the work of Tsygankov again, this time with a first-rate finish. Girona ruled the second half and Dimitrievski denied Taty Castellanos the winning goal. The people from Girona were still able to take the three points in added time, but González Fuertes, after several minutes of deliberation, decided that Salvi’s hand was not enough to mark the penalty spot.
Check the Santander League table.
Valley Lightning: Dimitrievski; Mario Hernandez (Mumin, m.66), Catena, Lejeune, Fran Garcia; Valentine, Comess (Salvi, m.79); Isi (Pathe Ciss, m.79), Trejo (Raul De Tomas, m.57), Alvaro; and Camel (Unai Lopez, m.66).
Girona: Gazzaniga; Arnau, Santi Bueno, David López, Miguel (Javi Hernández, m.46); Oriol Romeu, Iván Martín, Borja García (Reinier, m.89); Tsygankov, Riquelme (Toni Villa, m.46) and Taty Castellanos (Stuani, m.85).
Goals: 1-0: M.22 Clothes Palace; 1-1: M.29 Tsygankov; 2-1: M.34 Trejo; 2-2: M.52 Tsygankov.
Referee: Pablo González Fuertes (Asturian Committee). He admonished Catena (m.6) and Mario Hernández (18), from Rayo; and Arnau (37) and David López (71), from Girona.
Incidents: match corresponding to day 26 of the Santander League played at the Estadio de Vallecas in Madrid before 12,263 spectators.
