Girona suffers a humiliating defeat in Ourense and is eliminated from the Copa del Rey

GironaGirona hasn't learned its lesson, repeating last year's Copa del Rey debacle. It wasn't Logroñés, but Ourense, from the Primera RFEF, who knocked Míchel's team out of the competition (2-1). Even the presence of regular substitutes and youth team players couldn't excuse the poor performance of a side that conceded a goal in the first minute and hit the post in the final play of the game, a shot that would have sent the match to extra time. To add insult to injury, they lost Abel Ruiz to injury. The striker left the field in tears just after the half-hour mark.

Girona's performance was unworthy of a top-flight team. Vitor Reyes made a crucial save just seconds in, but before the minute was up, Álvaro Yuste beat Gazzaniga, who was forced to start because Livakovic wants to leave in January and, if he makes his debut, he won't be able to sign for any other team since the rules state that you can only wear two jerseys per season, and he's already worn two. A real drama.

Things could only get better, and it seemed they would when Joel Roca won a penalty. Yáser Asprilla, the €18 million man who became Girona's most expensive signing ever, took it. He struck it as poorly as he could, and Alberto saved it. There was still a little twist to come: Abel Ruiz was alert to the clearance, believed in a lifeless ball, and returned it to the Colombian, who, with an empty net, made it 1-1.

The red and whites then woke up a bit, creating some dangerous situations that could have made it 1-2. But as soon as halftime arrived, they disappeared. The second half was awful, and Ourense dominated them with ease. It was enough to mention the minute and name of the player responsible for Girona's Copa debacle: the protagonist was Omar Ouhdadi in the 64th minute. In the final action, Tsygankov sent a free kick against the crossbar, and everyone was spared half an hour (and perhaps some penalties). The Catalans' humiliation was already complete.