"It drove a lot of people crazy, me first and foremost," says Jaume Duran, scorer of the first goal in Girona's historic return to the Second Division almost five decades later. In August 2008, at Balaídos stadium, the former Banyoles striker became the protagonist of a fairy tale: just two weeks earlier he was playing for Palamós in the Third Division. "I signed by sheer luck, because Girona came to the Costa Brava to play a friendly and everything went my way. Every time I got the ball, I'd sprint past my defender. They were looking for a left winger and the coach, Raül Agné, had already seen me. But that match was key and in less than two weeks I was a starter."

In the 2018-2019 season, he played for Sant Andreu and earned 700 euros, which he spent almost entirely on gas. In the mornings, he took a lifeguard course at the Manlleu swimming pool, ate a packed lunch in the driver's seat of his gray Seat Ibiza at a rest stop along the C-17 highway, trained in the afternoons at the Narcís Sala stadium, and arrived back in Osona after dark. This Thursday, Ferran Jutglà returns to his old neighborhood as a Celta Vigo player. From playing for Sant Andreu against a La Liga team to playing for a La Liga team against Sant Andreu. "I'm very happy. I was really looking forward to playing Sant Andreu. It's a very special match for me," the striker from Sant Julià de Vilatorta (1999) explained to ARA, just hours before the second-round Copa del Rey match between the two sides (9 pm, Catalunya 2).

Barcelona secured a victory at Balaídos, closing the gap to two points in La Liga. The Blaugrana triumphed thanks to a hat trick from Lewandowski in a match that once again exposed some of the team's defensive weaknesses. In the second half, Barcelona's possession-based style proved decisive against Celta Vigo. Here are some immediate observations.

A disastrous week for Real Madrid, who, after losing 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield midweek in the Champions League, could only manage a 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano in Vallecas today. And they were lucky to get away with it. With this result, Xabi Alonso's team lets two points slip away, giving Barça the chance to close the gap to just three points if they can defeat Celta Vigo at Balaídos this Sunday before the international break. Rayo has now managed draws against Barça, Atlético Madrid, and Real Madrid this season. Madrid, who have now gone four consecutive years without a win in Vallecas, were never able to dominate a Rayo Vallecano side that was well-organized defensively and electric on the counter-attack. Ratiu caused the defense a lot of problems. meringue Down the right flank, Álvaro García had several scoring opportunities that didn't find the net due to Courtois's saves or poor finishing. Meanwhile, Mbappé and Vinícius weren't at their best, and their attacking contributions had to come from deeper positions. For example, Fede Valverde's long-range shots were thwarted by Batalla.

After ten minutes of play, Por Favor, the Montilivi cheerleader with drums, entered the north goal and saw the icy atmosphere that could be felt, rolled up his sleeves and got to work. "Today we can't fail. Not today. We have to win. Let's cheer, go on," he asked, almost demanding, the fans in the stadium, who were not convinced by what they saw with their eyes. Because Girona finds it so difficult to generate play, and feels so fragile, that it spreads to the stands. If last year the positive wave swept away everything in its path, the current dynamic is surrounding the atmosphere with doubts that travel along the path of pessimism and negativity. As for the good as in the bad, the emotions are extreme. The Girona team have saved a point in an entertaining duel: Tsygankov has made it 1-0, Iker and Marcos Alonso have turned the score around, and when panic was already looming, Yangel Herrera has appeared.