Girona shuts up those who didn't give a dime for it in Bilbao.

GironaWhen Ounahi's shot, after hitting the woodwork, found the back of the net, the joy took a few seconds to erupt. Before that, there was a silence, accompanied by suspicious glances. It didn't take long to break, perhaps two or three seconds, no more. Just enough time to confirm that nothing would spoil it, that no foul or offside could negate the magic. The same almost happened with the final whistle, even though victory had eluded Bilbao (1-1). Because few were giving a damn about a positive result for Girona. Perhaps, to be honest, not even they. Everyone took a deep breath on the way to the locker room. Especially Míchel, who had a huge weight lifted.

And that's even though a Girona victory wouldn't have been unfair, as it was in Vigo. You can't expect everything, yet. At San Mamés, they were penalized by a lack of accuracy (and a defensive error). With the score in their favor from the ninth minute, they were unable to capitalize on any of the counterattacks they generated in the first half to secure their first win of the season. These were good minutes, and not necessarily ones of survival, which is what was expected. Míchel's team wanted the ball and, led by Ounahi, created enough chances to avoid having to live with such a tight score. Neither Vanat, nor Van de Beek—who was injured again and extended the list of injuries in the infirmary—nor the Moroccan all-rounder himself, nor Portu were on target, which provoked a reaction from Athletic, who, when they had the chance, didn't think twice.

The Rojiblancos' defensive solidity was shattered after a misunderstanding between Bryan Gil and Iván Martín right in front of Jauregizar. The Bilbao midfielder said "yes, fine," stood on the edge of the box, and slotted it away from Gazzaniga's grasp. Valverde had made four substitutions at halftime, and it was only the 48th minute. But in the celebration, Jauregizar only needed to thank the Girona players. These small lapses cause nightmares for Montilivi, who sees them every matchday.

Collusion between signings

But Ounahi was still in the mood for partying. For the moment, he's the most complete signing. He defends, attacks, assists, and shoots. In fact, it seems there's more than one Ounahi on the pitch. He's found Vanat, another new face, the perfect partner, intelligent enough to understand the assists his teammate draws instinctively. They didn't disappear even when their energy ran out: they went up and down with their tongues hanging out. This was the effort Míchel demanded from his men. It was all of them, and not just them.

In the Cathedral of football, a place where you can't score if you're not intense, Girona showed solidarity. Even Francés, a newcomer to the starting lineup, celebrated with his fists in the air after getting ahead of Guruzeta, only to be prevented from finishing. That's how the Girona players were, not scared when Athletic had the advantage. Neither at the start, with the score at 1-0, nor with the tie, and with almost the entire second half still in front. Laporte and Berenguer had two clear chances to ensure the victory remained at home, but they were denied by great saves from Gazzaniga, Míchel's trusted goalkeeper, at all costs. The point, by the way, gives him a bit more of a lead.