Who knows what would have happened if the referee hadn’t blown his whistle seconds before the last minute of added time was up by stopping a possible Romeu counter-kick, which had Riquelme ready to face Mendy and stand in front Courtois. It’s the same. Better not to think about it. The Girona players didn’t even protest. They were attuned. Melted Of course, they smiled, raised their fists in the air and hugged each other. The titanic effort had been worth it. They hadn’t won, but a draw at the Santiago Bernabéu, even if Míchel says it’s a point “like any other”, is always more than a point. A tie with a clear taste of victory and which should serve for Girona to reinforce an idea that the last bad results (a draw and five defeats) were beginning to shake. Against the reigning European champion, you had to suffer, defend and empty yourself. Girona did it. Not only that, but even with the ball, especially during the first half, he looked Madrid in the eye and had opportunities to get ahead of the scoreboard. He didn’t do it. Herrera rattled the goal with a shot on the crossbar a few minutes before Valery’s header also made it 0-1. He was forgiven and everyone feared the worst. In the second half, Madrid took a step forward in the pressure and stifled Girona. With no avenues to attack, the rear guard resisted until Vinicius finished off a move from Valverde down the right. All seemed lost. I wasn’t. Gazzaniga (m.72) and the VAR were still to enter the scene. The goalkeeper avoided 2-0 with a spectacular save from Asensio and the VAR indicated some hands from Asensio himself in the area. Stuani took it upon himself to kick the maximum penalty without his legs shaking to make it 1-1. Neither Vinicius nor Rodrygo nor an eternal addition could prevent Girona from writing another golden page in their history book.
The difficulty was maximum. Well, even more. Visiting Madrid at the Bernabéu for a team, just promoted and immersed in a disastrous streak of results like Girona, meant playing the perfect game. Aside from hoping that the white team didn’t have the day, it was necessary to multiply efforts, help, be concentrated to the maximum, be effective and, above all, not give any gifts. It was a day to defend a lot and to know when to attack and what to always do with the ball. Because of this, and aware of who was in front of them, Girona executed Míchel’s plan perfectly for many minutes. The Madrid player opted for a double flanker on both sides with Arnau and Couto, on the right and Miguel Gutiérrez and Valery on the left. A tweak that made it possible to contain and minimize the lethal counter-attacks trademark of the house of Vinicius or Rodrygo.
Girona entered the match in the best possible way. He played with fire, yes, with an exchange of blows that was null for one and the other during an excellent first forty-five minutes of Míchel’s. Just starting Castellanos was forced to a cross from Arnau in a fairly clear action. Earlier Herrera had made a back pass towards nobody also in the area of a local team who responded with a strong shot from Rodrygo which Gazzaniga deflected into the corner with his fingertips. There was no break. Valery’s header would lick the post of Courtois’ goal before Rodrygo did hit the post in the Girona area. The next one was even clearer, when Valery beat Carvajal by the legs and conceded for Herrera to see the crossbar spit out his canyardo. The sense of seriousness, ambition and bravery of Girona was absolute. However, there was no way to see goal.
In the second half, Madrid put more pressure on the Girona side with the ball and pressure, without, however, enjoying any clear chances apart from the goal, in which Valverde won the match for David López and Vinicius finished to his delight. Gazzaniga, with one of the saves of the year on Asensio, kept the Girona team alive. Then, the VAR gave a helping hand by indicating some of Asensio in the area. Stuani would not fail and tie the match. With ten minutes ahead plus an addition of nine minutes plus an extra one, Míchel’s men knew how to control their nerves and tame a Madrid that was finished off by the expulsion of Kroos. It wasn’t a victory, but as if it was.
Couto and Valery The bid for the double side approves with marks
It was a most complicated scenario and Míchel was more than aware of it. There had been many teams that, one after the other, had been crushed by the reigning European champions. A Madrid that, yes, had just lost the first game of the season in Leipzig. Míchel had days to think about how not only to stop the white team, but to hurt them through the ball. In faith he succeeded. The coach decided to keep the two lines of four in defense and in the middle of the field and leave a slightly more relaxed Yangel Herrera behind Castellanos. The novelty was, however, the presence of Yan Couto and Valery Fernández at the ends. Two regular men in the lane with the previous system (5-3-2) and who yesterday played in front of the two full-backs, Arnau and Gutiérrez. The invention, if you can call it that, worked for Míchel. Girona protected themselves against white counterattacks and, in return, had depth on both sides. Both Couto, with Arnau doubling him, and, especially Valery, joined dangerously in the first half and neutralized the locals’ attempts to transition. Couto was unable to finish the game following a kick from Kroos that cost him the first yellow.
