Girona's European dream is not over yet

GIRONA"I imagined something spectacular, but the day you arrive at the PSG training ground and see seventeen pitches, everything goes beyond expectations. It's an amazing adventure," says Sergi Mora, the coach of Girona, one of the surprise teams in the Youth League. Undefeated in the first phase, they face the round of 32 in Greece on Wednesday, against Olympiacos, the reigning champions, in a single match (4 p.m., Movistar).

"Every detail is amazing. We're talking about the best experience we've all had to date. Just seeing the Girona crest surrounded by historic names gives you a huge boost of self-esteem. And then there are the results. We haven't lost a single game!" he says. He's right, because the road has been full of good moments: 0-2 at PSG, 2-0 at Feyenoord, 2-2 with Slovan Bratislava, 1-1 against PSV, 0-0 in the trip to Graz and 2-2 against Liverpool. Girona went through in twelfth place, with the same points, 10, as Manchester City and Bayern Munich.

Breaking the ice on their debut with a win unleashed unusual consequences. "In all the pools, we were the rookies who were making their debut and were the underdogs. But we have known how to understand the competition very well. We have been up to the task, in every sense. And it counts thanks to many factors. Like the first victory. There I saw the lads happier than ever. With a different facial expression, with a special look, with a special look, and they are excited to compete. They make it very easy for me," adds Mora.

The Sant Andreu de Llavaneres coach also has those who have not been called up very much in mind and has instilled that in the lucky ones who can dress in shorts. "We are quite limited by the regulations, because we can only take six players who have not been with the club for two years. We have around twenty nines. And leaving a kid out, telling him that he will not be able to play in a Champions League match when it is what he dreams of, when he has deserved to be there. It is a lot with . . . who are there: they must run and work for the teammates who are not there but who are also part of the success." The dressing room has understood this, and has been fully involved.

"An anecdote or transcendence"

Mora emphasises that in his talks with the squad, he has always made it clear that this experience – "the best of our lives", he repeats – could take two paths. "Either it remains as an anecdote to tell, or we transcend. What do we prefer? To say that we have visited renowned stadiums, that we have played against this or that talent, and that we have travelled to huge cities? Or that we are truly making history? That we were not only there, but that we left our mark in fact. If we won and qualified, the book of the future will be more beautiful to write. And we are ready to make history bigger."

The Greeks are no small thing. They won the last title, beating Milan (3-0). "If fate has put us in front of it, it's for a reason. I don't think it's a coincidence. It will be tough, yes. Unlike other teams with more individual imbalance, Olympiacos stands out for its blog mentality. They all go together. They are extremely supportive. But so are we, eh," he says, with a degree of warning. "It's obvious that we will have to continue doing very well, because if not, we won't go through. But we can hurt them. I know this because I have analysed it. There are aspects in which we can prevail, if we do what we know how to do. And in ambition we have to be superior. This is one of our strong points. m defending Girona, and that has a prestige."

Mora recognises that the Youth League has allowed him to "think faster, because everything speeds up": "It's a master's degree that multiplies you. What we normally did in seven days, we now do in three. It also forces you to anticipate. But there are things that you don't intuit in the short term. You find, you don't know." Self-criticism is part of learning. "We made mistakes because we had to make them, that's the only way to correct them. The mistake must be there to improve."

Everyone at Girona has the option of playing at home if they get through the tie and the draw is in their favour. "That's what we want, to play one more game at home." At Montilivi? "That would be a fantasy, yes." What is clear is that Aznar, Aimar, Nacho, Coro, Arango, Hamony and Mora himself will always remember it: "Girona's time in the Youth League will be for life."