Girona activates the countdown to permanence in First Division

GironaIt's not here yet, but almost: Girona took a giant step towards staying in La Liga by defeating Villarreal in an exercise of collective resilience (1-0). With this victory, Míchel's men have an eight-point cushion over the relegation places with 24 points left to play for. It's within reach.

Every time he hears the name Villarreal, Míchel grimaces. The yellow submarine brings back bad memories. Memories that now seem distant in time, but which lingered until not long ago. Because the visit to La Cerámica in the first leg, right at the start of the league, in the middle of August, caused the Geronians to hit rock bottom. The 5-0 they conceded hurt for months, but today, fortunately, Girona is nothing like that Girona that seemed to be on its deathbed. A very delicate situation has changed.

If that Girona was weak, fragile, and didn't even know where it was going or what it wanted to be, with some key players fleeing just days before the transfer window closed and Míchel crying out about management that couldn't even be held together with pins, the current Girona competes, feels capable, and, without yet being reliable or fully accepting itself aesthetically, is already a guarantee. At the very least, to fight with real arguments for its survival in the First Division. The story is not the same.

Míchel even described the Villarreal night as "the worst" of his years at the club. Specifically, there have been five, and they have been lived in harmony. But there was also a dangerous phase, right at the beginning, with the team in the Second Division and in constant nightmares that reminded him of lost play-off finals, in which he navigated in the relegation zone in the Primera RFEF. The club, there, instead of hesitating or putting obstacles in his way, offered him a renewal. The rest is history.

From the 5-0 in August to this month of April, Míchel has managed to fit together a group of players who at the start of the season didn't even recognize each other on the pitch. They spent a lot of matchdays in the relegation zone, received criticism, and the team's football went through phases that could be improved, but here we are, with a margin of almost three games over the red zone after matchday 30. And playing on equal terms with the third-placed team in the league.

Luck also plays a part

The Gerundenses, after a good first half in which they not only kept the visitors' potential at bay but also took the initiative, embraced the reward of a goal just before halftime. It was fortunate, yes, because Pau Navarro scored an own goal while trying to deflect a cross from Arnau. Even in that, Girona is not the same: a few months ago, this ball would not have touched the net by any means. But that's how dynamics work. And that's what persistence brings, it rewards you when it feels like it. What is also certain is that if they had given up, they wouldn't be feeling the current joy.

Because they have overcome so many adversities that it seems unbelievable to see them standing with such confidence, just as the siren has sounded to mark the start of the decisive phase of the League. The injury to Vanat in the 10th minute and that of Blind in the dying moments of the match are two more setbacks. It's not the first one anymore, thought Montilivi, who took it with the right amount of concern seeing the good evolution of a team that breathed a sigh of relief in two very similar actions by Vitor Reis, who appeared at the opportune moment to deflect the danger from Mikautadze and Gerard Moreno.

In fact, the Gerundenses came close to a second, much more so than Villarreal to the possibility of an equalizer. Especially in a short spell of the second half, when Ounahi, Tsygankov, Abel Ruiz, and Witsel had plenty of chances to extend the lead. For one reason or another, the game maintained intrigue until the end, when Montilivi celebrated a victory that brings them closer than ever to the season's main objective. It wasn't easy, but Míchel will do it again.