A couple of sparks defuse Girona's great performance at the Bernabéu

GIRONAGirona's show of faith in Madrid was not rewarded with points. Two goals from Modric and Vinícius in the final stretch of each half wiped out the chances of Míchel's team (2-0), who left a great image with which to feed their self-esteem for future games. This is the seventh defeat in the last eight games for a team that has only added three points from the eighteen at stake in the second half. Madrid, however, is second again in the standings and is tied on 54 points with Barça.

Míchel's approach has been intelligent and has gone for something that has not gone well. He gave the ball away, aware of the superiority of the whites, and proposed to go long whenever he had the chance. Last season, also at this stage of the championship, the Girona team showed up at the Bernabéu with the League at stake, knowing that a victory would put them in the lead. That Super Girona He planned a duel to the death that ended like a charm: Madrid scored with their first shot and half an hour later had sealed the match. Finally, they put them in their place with the final score of 4-0, with the crowd making waves and the public asking for a little hand. This time, having learned their lesson, they have really stood up to the challenge.

In fact, if they had been more accurate today, the game would have been very different. Girona had three clear chances with the score still tied, two saved by Courtois from shots by Arnau and Van de Beek, and the other by Tsygankov, which was sent sky-high. Ancelotti's men, seeing their opponent's attempts, also tried to do damage up front, taking advantage of the speed of Vinícius and Mbappé. However, at all times they encountered an unusual seriousness from the red-and-whites, who in recent days had shown their shame at the slightest difficulty. David López, Krejcí and Blind prevented several attacks that looked very bad.

Then, Modric appeared to stop time. The Croatian, at 39 years old, continues to give football lessons. In a small misalignment after a corner kick, he found himself alone on the threshold of the edge of the area, and he sent in a work of art that Gazzaniga could not stop. All the great work of the Catalans was cancelled out by a simple action.

But Girona did not collapse. If before the match they assumed that in order to get something out of the game it was necessary to combine their excellence with a bad day for Madrid, they found that the scenario was not the hell they imagined, taking into account the poor dynamics of play and results they are in. With a little more effort the stars could align. Danjuma, the striker chosen in the eleven, made everyone very nervous in a one-on-one that he sent wide. But, at least, the team made itself seen. Vinícius countered with a shot off the crossbar. If the locals made the second, it would be over.

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With Arthur's entry, Girona's possessions were already longer, and both teams have exchanged roles. Girona, brave and with a recognizable personality, has positioned itself in the opponent's half, with the intention of dominating. Madrid ran like an angry demon, but continued to come up against Krejcí, who led Mbappé down the path of bitterness. Míchel has played against him, with nothing to lose, looking for the speed of players like Bryan Gil and Asprilla. For the second week in a row, for a stretch of the match, the team has played without a reference center forward. Symptomatic.

With Girona turned around and relying on a stroke of luck, Vinícius' redemption has arrived. But it has been a good Girona, the one that has been seen at the Bernabéu. The best Girona in recent weeks.