Irregularity became the bread of every day and Girona’s usual companion in the League. The good and bad news went hand in hand. Results of all kinds, highs and lows, chiaroscuro. All this explains the constant relays on the bench and the fifth place finish, when a team was promised to come up with the cap. Arrived at play-off, this formula is a suicide. Relying everything on how the wind blows is too dangerous. Being constant, precise and not failing at certain moments is what adds up, what gives rise. Also get a little lucky, but that’s another thing. Francisco, who despite being young enough knows what the matter is, had conscientiously explained it to his players. He had had some time. And the team responded in the best way possible. For over 90 minutes it was reliable, regular, with almost no cracks. Intense, focused, ambitious. What cost so much to link day after day was condensed in the first game of the promotion. Possibly the best choral performance of the season served to defeat Almeria, a little weakened by casualties and out of place by the change of design of the newcomer coach. A first step that brings it closer to the ascent, although to celebrate it there is still much to see.
The competitive claw that Francisco asked for during the preliminaries appeared with the initial whistle. High pressure not to give concessions to the opponent, who presented a scheme where the priority was to strengthen the defense while looking for the surprise factor of the unbalanced men at the top. Girona was able to deactivate their opponent’s arguments to copy intensity and hunger. Enough to have the ball, take care of it and prevent Almeria from being able to think and execute. With five men behind it was not easy to find spaces. Aday, initially on the left, moved again and again without finishing associating with Mojica, again intermittently. On the other side, the absence of Maffeo and Calavera weakened a band where Sáiz was kind of asking Ramalho to come up. At 4 he was seen, and not a little, although his limitations in thinking and doing also came out. Despite having the game under control, it was the visiting team in charge of offering a greater sense of danger. He didn’t need to do anything out of this world. Not even kicking between the three sticks. A good combination between Fran Villalba and Martos helped one centered in the heart of the area set off all the alarms. Darwin, with his cane ready, did not come close. The Uruguayan, a while later, won by speed Juanpe and was about to find oil with an assist that found no striker. Girona was breathing; despite the fact that Riesgo had not appeared, the arrivals with face and eyes were for Almeria.
It was difficult for him to chop Francisco’s stones. Sivera covered a couple of shots from Aday without too much danger and little by little the balance was equalized. It was not suffered in Montilivi, but the hydration break served for the coaching staff to do some retouching, looking for something more. The 0-0 was too dangerous. A poisoned gift to travel to the Mediterranean Games without marking. Francisco placed Aday on the right side and released Samu Sáiz, too pending to look for Ramalho and disabled in the middle. When the 14th could think, everything changed. A filtered ball of his found the race of the own Aday, that having all alone Stuani rising like an arrow in the middle was mistaken in the execution. Instead of putting the ball in the heart of the area, his pass was aimed at goal and Sivera, who did not expect it, rejected it as best he could. Nor was Stuani, in a counterattack, expected to fall inside the area. He claimed a penalty, but the referee pretended to hear rain. They were the best minutes of Girona, determined to hit before the break. If he didn’t get it it was because he lacked determination, aim. The mobility of Aday or even Ramalho was constant and Sáiz was busy making dangerous filtered passes. One of them, around 4, did not find a finisher perben little. And Sáiz himself tried it before he whistled the referee with a long shot that was not well directed.
History repeats itself
If there’s one thing this season has been repeated over and over again, it’s Cristhian Stuani’s ability to decide matches. It is innate. What he has given to the team is capital, to the point that it is hard to remember every time he has saved the furniture. It’s not that Girona is doing it wrong, not by a long shot. But he lacked determination in the final meters. And the thing became more turbulent when returning from the break, when Almeria got the sleep out of his ears and decided, just in case, to try to gain ground. A shot from Lazo that went high and another from César de la Hoz, this one more dangerous, that would catch Riesgo could make you think that the script had changed. But Stuani said that was enough. This time, however, on the 7th he didn’t do it alone, nor did he need a penalty to fatten his scoring account. Tala was the executor, but had a direct impact on a well-knit action in which Borja and Samu Sáiz appeared. On the 10th he hit a ball through the entrance of the Madrid player, who gave up the ball with class and determination in the middle of the area where Stuani would define, as he knows, the thousand wonders.
The goal, at 54, deactivated Almeria, who did not react until the discount, but without finding a goal or deserving to score. Before, Girona played with pleasure, dominating the situation and even looking for a second goal that for one reason or another would not end up coming. Stuani came close to a powerful cross from Aday, while Borja Garcia met Sivera and Petrovic when the 10 was looking for goal. While Gomes shook the bench without finding a solution, Francisco waited and made no change until 78. Jairo came on for Samu Sáiz. The presence of Valery and Gallar was testimonial. There was no fright. As much as Mojica made the absurd lack of rigor at the threshold of the addition. No one took advantage of it. The scoreboard no longer moved and the tie will be decided on Sunday at the Juegos Mediterráneos. Anything can happen, this is football. But for now, Girona rules.
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