Girona leaves Mestalla with a knot in their stomach

GironaGirona's knot in their stomach is evident after their visit to Mestalla, where they suffered a defeat that put them in serious trouble (2-1). Míchel's team, who until recently breathed with the confidence of having salvation within reach, now see themselves four points away from the danger zone, with the involved teams still to compete this Sunday, a fact that could bring the drama even closer. Next week's Girona-Mallorca match smells like a final.

The fact that the best news of the first forty-five minutes was that the score remained unchanged already explains part of the outcome. The Geronians thanked their lucky stars, as they spent the first half buying lottery tickets to lose the match. Valencia, the team that showed more merit, had a greater sense of urgency than the Geronians. In fact, the 2-1 result also means Valencia overtakes Girona in the standings. Mestalla roared with every attacking run by their players, who pushed Míchel's team into their own box. The visitors' only notable action was a free-kick from Claudio Echeverri in stoppage time, which went just wide of the post.

The locals, on the other hand, kept accumulating one attack after another. Always attacking the back of a central axis where Vitor Reis and Daley Blind were the symbols of survival for a good handful of minutes. With the Girona midfield in full shipwreck, the speed on the flanks from Ramazani and Beltrán, who hit the post with the clearest chance, did damage. Sadiq, positioned upfront, was a case apart. He is a strange striker, capable of making very skillful runs and questioning defenders' intelligence, but also of swatting at the air a low cross with Gazzaniga practically beaten. The Nigerian missed several, but he recovered by sealing the game in the second half.

Earlier, Ramazani did not miss at the start of the second half, completing a counter-attack under the same parameters with which he had previously attacked, and neither Míchel nor the entire Girona team were able to detect it. The gap on the right flank not only caused the disadvantage but also filled a team that had to activate on a tight schedule with nerves, haste, and bad habits. But before they had even realized the seriousness of the situation, they had already conceded the second goal. It was Sadiq, again, taking advantage of a gap on the right through which Gayà slipped. In the celebration, he made peace with the crowd.

Alavés' victory, a few hours earlier, had compressed a league table that fills the Girona fans with unease, who have experienced many different moods this year. Surely because of having overcome so many circumstances, when they seemed buried in Valencia, the substitutions from the bench revived expectations: a cross from Francés was headed in at the far post by the Girona native Joel Roca. Home pride is one of the few things that are not in excess.

Stuani's new record

Who could write a thesis on pride is Cristhian Stuani, who at Mestalla became the living footballer with the most matches in Girona's history, and who tied for third place overall with the historic Joan Sagué. The goals of the Uruguayan had already been claimed at the end of last season, when he and Portu solved their permanence. Who knows if they will also be needed this season.

In an intense stoppage time, neither Stuani nor anyone else had the courage to equalize –Dimitrievski spectacularly saved a shot from the set, and between the Uruguayan, Vitor Reis, and Tsygankov, they were unable to score in the last scramble in the box–, and the white-and-reds left knowing that they have put themselves in the current situation all by themselves. And still, luckily, they recently added four points that were unthinkable to imagine against Villarreal and Madrid. Because this is the difference between them and hell, with which Girona is unnecessarily flirting.