Girona dips its bread in the Bernabéu and hands the League to Barça

GironaGirona made it big at the Santiago Bernabéu, from where they snatched a golden point of great merit on a happy night (1-1). The result not only brings them a little closer to definitive permanence, but it practically hands the League title to Barça, who could almost seal it if they win today's derby against Espanyol.

In the minds of the Girona footballers, there was an intuition of the eagerness to engrave their names on a new historical page of the club, a feat they achieved. Even Míchel's plan, different from other days, seemed ideal. The one from Vallecas sacrificed a striker to reinforce the midfield. Arbeloa's team found the match cumbersome. Between the sadness of being far from a title that with each passing day is closer to Spotify Camp Nou and the fact of having to live with the Champions League quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich, which they have also half lost, they showed symptoms of apathy. In fact, with the Super Cup and the Cup gone from their trophy cabinets, Madrid, soon, could confirm that they will end the season empty-handed.

Except for a chance from Ounahi that forced Lunin to make a brilliant save, just before the quarter-hour mark, and a counter-attack that ended with a wide shot from Echeverri, who played as a false nine, Girona spent most of the time serving a Madrid side that did not go beyond some quick runs and some offensive insistence. Los Blancos had some peaks of defiance, but as the minutes passed, they said goodbye to a League that only Flick's team can now lose. Madrid seemed indifferent.

Growing in misjudgment

Until he failed on the goal, Gazzaniga was completing a fairly correct performance. The Argentine flew several times, in the first half, but on a long shot from Fede Valverde at the start of the second half his hands seemed like butter and, instead of clearing the ball, he ate it. Despite the last-minute absence of Blind, the white and red defense inspired confidence. It is true that Madrid's chances were representative of the harmless monologue that was seen, but Girona was by no means seen as disconnected. Rather pigeonholed into a role that was not theirs: that of obeying someone else. Their best man, Ounahi, was very sluggish, something surprising in the Moroccan.

Conceding the 1-0, contrary to what it might seem, did not sink the Geronenses, but made them react. In an isolated action that ended at Lemar's feet, the Frenchman went looking for life in search of a space in the front that would allow him to shoot at Lunin. It was a great goal. Then indeed Girona livened up and had some more options to take the match, while Madrid took a misstep and ended up asking for a possible penalty on Mbappé that they didn't even review. The Bernabéu, enraged, whistled as many times this season. So many, that it is already getting used to it.