It wasn’t just one point. It was confirmation that the path is the right one. Despite the injuries. Despite the calendar. Even despite that European dream turned into a nightmare. There are several evils that have led Girona to not recognize itself in the mirror this season. But after three consecutive wins in the League, which had opened a path, a starting point to continue growing, the visit to La Cerámica was presented as an opportunity to measure the real level of the rojiblancos. Against an always difficult Castellón team. The fourth in the classification. In a field where fans have only seen one defeat this year. An important challenge against Villarreal that ended with a tie of faith, of believing wholeheartedly in Míchel’s methodology even though the scoreboard reflected two goals against at the beginning of the second half.
A timid first half showed Girona’s scoring problems, but after the restart, despite Baena’s goal, the Catalan team did not give up until they found a well-deserved reward, especially for their persistence, thanks to a great goal from Krejci in the minute 97.
The match was also marked by casualties. Girona still hasn’t emptied its infirmary. Portu reappeared, but Asprilla and Tsygankov fell again due to discomfort. But the thing is that on the local side they could not count on their best eleven, with Ayoze, Bailly, Pépé, Pedraza, Foyth and Ramon Terrats injured.
Despite the absences, the start was electric. The ball started without an owner, from one area to another. Bryan Gil, after a bad rebound from Costa, was the first to warn with a dry shot that Diego Conde repelled. The groguets responded, with a header from Costa at the goal mouth and a shot from Baena.
The initial frenzy gave way to fruitless dominance by the visitors. A deceptive possession, almost a trap that served as a shuttle for Marcelino’s team to mount dangerous transitions again and again. Villarreal was much more vertical, everything became clear when the ball passed through Baena and the first goal was born from his boots. The former Girona player reached the baseline, placed a cross that Yéremy finished off the post, after overcoming Miguel, and Barry caught the rebound to open the scoring.
Both teams comfortable in their roles, the script did not change. Girona played and played in three quarters of the field in search of a gap in the defensive tangle. Miovski, on an islet surrounded by sharks, barely sensed the ball in the distance. A Villarreal galloped out and was able to score the second on a wide shot, near the post, by Gueye. On the other hand, the rojiblancos only added a tame shot from Danjuma before the break, very erratic against his former team, and a shot in the last minute of the first half from Miguel, this more dangerous one, which Conde deflected.
After the restart, it was Girona’s turn to react, but the slope became a Tourmalet after two minutes. An oriented control was enough for Baena to nullify Arnau Martínez and find a shooting position that he solved with a powerful shot near the top corner. Great goal. With the income doubled, Villarreal relaxed against a Girona that continued to believe in their arguments. Stuani, who had just entered, saw how Conde avoided the goal. But in the subsequent corner kick, Van de Beek, after a poor yellow rebound, closed the gap with a shot that touched Cardona before lodging in the net. Although Girona had just played in the Champions League in Austria, Villarreal was the one that lost steam in the final stretch where Denis Suárez was able to kill off the match. His team would end up paying for it.
Stuani, after a pass from Portu, seemed to become Girona’s hero for the umpteenth time when he beat Conde in the 90th minute. The VAR separated him from glory by a few centimeters, the Uruguayan being offside, and it was Krejci, in tasks offensives, which unleashed euphoria among the Gironins. The defender’s head combed it, Stuani touched it again with his head and the Czech, without letting it fall, hit an unstoppable volley from outside the area that allowed Girona to take a closer look at the noble part of the table.
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