Girona accelerates with their fourth victory in the last five matchdays on a perfect and emotional night against Albacete (2-0), in which goals from Abel Ruiz and Van de Beek, saves by Paulo Gazzaniga, and the visitors' lack of accuracy tipped the scales. The sentimental note was provided by Portu, who returned to the pitch ten months after his injury. He received a massive ovation.

Carles Pérez was Girona's final signing this summer. Brought in a couple of days after the deadline, after he was released from Celta just minutes before the market window closed, almost at dawn, his is a signing for immediate impact: he has actively contributed to the positive energy accompanying the Girona team in the last few matchdays, in which they have won three of the four matches played. The former Barça player has scored two goals in three matches and hopes to play an important role again this Friday in Albacete's visit to Montilivi (8:30 PM, LaLigaTV Hypermotion). The FIFA virus punishes the red-and-whites, who will have half a dozen players scattered across different national teams, among them the starters Junior, Asprilla, and Vanat.

A state of euphoria has settled at the Nova Creu Alta. Sabadell claims its third victory of the season –all of them at home– and consolidates its position in the upper part of the standings. The team from the Vallès region is one of the great revelations of this term in the Second Division and, this Sunday, they also defeated Oviedo (3-1). They did so without forward Nicholas Gioacchini, who will be away from the pitch for several months due to an injury.

The victories during the afternoon by Castellón and Eibar meant the first dose of real pressure for Quique Álvarez's men, who see that the top two ranked teams have 16 and 15 points in the promotion spots, even though the championship is still in an embryonic phase. The reaction did not take long and with the triumph in Cádiz (1-2), the third in four matchdays, they already have 10 and are in fourth place. Two strikes by Vanat and Carles Pérez in the first half were enough.

For Quique Cárcel, Cádiz is like his second home. He lived there from 1996 to 2000, a period in which he accumulated 131 matches as a midfielder for a team that was then competing in the Segunda División B. This Saturday he will return to the Ramón de Carranza, now renamed as the JP Financial Estadio, in what is his thirteenth season as sporting director of Girona (9 PM, LaLigaTV Hypermotion).

First defeat for Sabadell in the year of their return to the Second Division. Ferran Costa's team was defeated on the field of a Mallorca side that took advantage of two defensive errors by the Vallès team in the first half to take the three points and strengthen their position in front of their home crowd (2-0). The arlequinat team showed ambition against one of the favorites to climb to the First Division, but they lacked accuracy in attack to earn points on Mallorca's ground, where they have not won a league match since 1965.

It was too good. Girona was one step away from chaining a third consecutive victory and lost in a direct duel of promotion contenders against Castellón (1-2). Quique Álvarez's men took the lead very early, but the expulsion of Abel Ruiz just at the start of the second half conditioned the footballing behavior of the Gironins too much, who made a physical overexertion for many minutes that they ended up paying for in the final stretch, where two goals in five minutes caused the points to fly from the stadium.

Girona is finally starting to fire on all cylinders and has secured its second consecutive league victory at Sporting's ground (0-2), placing them in the upper part of the Second Division standings. Standout performances came from top scorer Yáser Asprilla, Carles Pérez, who opened his account with a fine goal, and Paulo Gazzaniga, who made amends for past performances. The Girona players survived a very hostile atmosphere with professionalism and efficiency.

Drums of war sounded in Montilivi, but Girona gave themselves a respite and thrashed Las Palmas (5-2). The Girona players even had time to enjoy themselves during a devastating final half hour that everyone embraced with energy: the players, the coach, those in charge, and above all, the fans. Nobody was sure before the start, neither about the result nor about how the day, which threatened storms, would unfold, but after many days of grimaces, it ended happily.

Sabadell has returned with a firm step to the Second Division. Ferran Costa's team has chained a second consecutive away draw at the stadium of one of the favorites to be promoted to the First Division, Castelló (0-0). The "orellut" team, which last season stood out for its offensive play, has found itself powerless when attacking against a Sabadell that has had the best opportunities to return to Vallès with three points. After drawing in Gijón on the first matchday, the "arlequinats" have chained a second goalless draw before their home debut next weekend against Almeria.

Two years ago, Girona was awaiting the Champions League draw. It looked in the mirror and saw itself as attractive. Everyone was showering it with compliments. Now, none of that exists. The team is in the Second Division and is doing what it can, mistreated as it is by a sporting management that conditions everything. Departures remain stuck and, just as happened last year, August, in terms of points, is heading for the trash. In Cordoba, they suffered their first defeat of the season (2-1), and they still haven't won. If before they were whistled at as a sign of admiration, now they are whistled at as a sign of disagreement.

Sabadell has returned to professional football, earning a point in a stadium like El Molinón. Great image from the arlequinat squad, who for many minutes imposed their style of play against a historic Spanish football club like Sporting de Gijón (0-0). The Catalans missed a goal with a penalty missed by Rahmani, but they begin their journey in the Second Division with a valuable away point.

Traumas are not overcome from one day to the next, but Montilivi and Girona took the first step to begin forgetting the enormous disappointment that the relegation a few months ago represented. Far from reproaches, discomforts, or notable scoldings, both the fans and the team put on a good face. Everyone knows this will be a long haul, and it's better to be comfortable with it. The reward for the energy was Abel Ruiz's last-minute goal, which salvaged a hard-fought point against an effective Leganés (1-1).

There are goalkeepers, like Vozinha, who occupy newspaper pages for their great performances in matches. On the other hand, there are others who appear for negative reasons. This is the case of Diego Fuoli, who, although he could have been in the media for his great season with Sabadell – 27 goals conceded in 37 matches in the Primera Federació and 21 clean sheets in the regular league – has ended up doing so after controversial statements on the balcony of the Sabadell City Council (governed by the PSC) during the celebration of the promotion to the Second Division.

1. On Saturday night, the sporting drama culminated. Girona drew at home with Elche and was relegated to the Second Division. If Lemar's shot against the post had gone in, the big party in Plaça del Vi would have lasted two days. But when football really hangs by a thread, it's a sign that things haven't been done well. This bad run at the end of the season (no wins in the last eight games, 4 points out of a possible 24) has been practically symmetrical to a start of the season with continuous stumbles. The condemnation has been the meager 41 points achieved. A year ago, also with 41 points, Girona managed to save themselves by playing with fire. On this occasion, there has been no luck, and the fans, at the end of the match, pointed to the stands and oscillated between expressions of condolence and criticism of the players. 

Halfway between Logroño, Vitoria, San Sebastián, and Bilbao lies Miranda de Ebro, a town of just over 35,000 inhabitants renowned for its industrial center—now in decline—and communications hub, especially for rail. Children attend school wearing the shirt of the town's team, Mirandés, not Barça or Real Madrid. Historically, it has straddled the Third Division and Second B, which is 90 minutes away from promotion to the Liga. end of the play-off, will achieve this for the first time in its nearly hundred years of existence, making it one of the smallest teams to reach the Spanish football elite. "It's a David versus Goliath story. With one of the lowest budgets in the division, it's very close to promotion to the First Division, having competed against Granada, Almería, and Racing de Santander, teams from large cities that represent provincial capitals. It's very big," says Pablo Infante, the most famous player in the club's history.