First historic victory of Girona in the Champions League

GIRONAImagine the scene: a foul at the front of the opponent’s area, and the whole of Montilivi chanting the name of Juanpe, who takes the ball and places it delicately. The stadium continues to sing his name. The canary takes a few steps back and breathes. And suddenly, silence. The referee blows his whistle and walks towards the ball. With determination, he hits a beautiful unstoppable shot and the fans erupt. Everyone celebrates it, it would just be missing. He embraces everyone, including the coaching staff. And Montilivi chants the ‘Juanpe, Juanpe’ again. How beautiful football is, when you get into it. Thus was sealed Girona’s first historic victory in the Champions League against Slovan (2-0), which allows them to keep the European dream alive. Another date to remember.

But who is Juanpe? The Canarian player is the one who has been in the dressing room the longest. Specifically, since 2016. Logically, he has experienced everything that has happened in these years, which has been no small thing: two promotions to the First Division, the relegation to the Second Division, the traumatic nights of the play-off final lost… A Catalonia has taken root there. In fact, his children are from Girona. The eldest was born a few weeks after the loss of the elite with Eusebio. Juanpe went so far as to confess that, in those first days of new fatherhood, while he was with his daughter in his arms, dazed and with an emotion that only those who are fathers experience, his head was going downhill. He said it in a wonderful interview with Jot Down in which he also assured that he was not born being from Girona, but that he will die being from Girona. And when one feels this, there is nothing more to add.

Precise feelings of an entity that lives its golden age thanks to the commitment and behavior of people like Juanpe. Or Cristhian Stuani, of course. The Uruguayan also started, but missed a penalty. The old guard, with the permission of Juan Carlos and Porto, was the one who oxygenated the available footballers a little, not a lot. Before the match against Slovan, Míchel had the same highs and lows: thirteen. At the end, he added two more absences, those of Iván Martín and Van de Beek, due to physical problems. I’m sure the schedule, stress, lack of rest and a lot of factors have something to do with it, but it all seems like a witch hunt.

What can be done about it? Míchel is already trying to invent things while pulling his hair. It’s enough to maintain the type and bring serenity, when anyone else would have already gone completely crazy, cursing themselves for the misfortunes and who knows if scared by the course with which they are sailing in the League, where on Saturday they have a crucial game in Las Palmas. If someone dares to play the seven differences with respect to an image from last year, they will find five hundred. The new ones still haven’t fit in as well as the ones who were new and were called Savinho or Dovbyk. And there is that point of anxiety of not having any certainty of which direction the course will take: you want it to be calm, but who knows if it will be time to play the carobs for salvation. It was all so extraordinary that the hangover is hard.

But in the meantime, the music (of the Champions) in full swing and dancing, which is four days. There was a small sign that this could be the night, with Montilivi already making a decent image during the anthem and not like in the opener against Feyenoord. This time, Girona acted quickly, even if it was to call training teams to occupy some seats and the field was not empty. And what day passes, year pushes.

Absolute happiness

Football-wise, not even the fact of being conditioned, especially after Iván Martín’s injury, prevented Girona from taking the initiative in the game. A bit in a hurry, but with more ideas than the Slovakian team, closed in their field and who only came close to Gazzaniga in a counterattack at the end of the first half, in a shot by Blackman that brushed the crossbar. But when Girona responded, it was incontestable.

He did it through Danjuma, a restless ass for ninety minutes, and with a question mark on top, because of the high expectations. He seemed to have no blood, the Dutchman, but there was plenty of it. A great play allowed Miguel to bring joy to Girona, who were once again savoring a magical moment. Melted in an embrace, players and fans, at that moment there were no fears, no schedule, no injuries. It was happiness and that was enough.

Only the goalkeeper Takac denied Danjuma or Miovski to extend the white-and-red lead, who were dying to celebrate the triumph. But the most special moment was missing. Juanpe’s moment was missing. A moment that the canary will always remember.