Girona survives the nightmares of Oviedo

GironaGirona and Quique Álvarez survived a night where they were about to be sacrificed by an Oviedo that was high-profile on the bench, with all the flashes trying to record every gesture of former Real Madrid footballer Raúl González. Two actions by Abel Ruiz and Pyshchur (1-2) prevented everyone from starting to get carried away regarding the future of the red-and-white coach, who gains breathing room with a victory that breaks the bad streak and allows them to impose themselves on a direct rival, even though it did not serve to close the gap with the top of the table because their rivals won.

Girona's future was so dark at the start of the second half that it was better to look the other way. Two minutes into the second half, in a new period of incomprehensible disconnection, a cross from Ripoll-born Ilyas was finished off by Reina with desperate ease. It was 1-0 and, at that moment, it meant a third consecutive defeat, aggravated by the victories during the matchday of Almeria and Castellón, which left the two automatic promotion spots at eleven and nine points respectively, and with the 'orelluts' having a game in hand.

It was a few minutes past ten at night and perhaps even Quique Álvarez did not want to be Quique Álvarez at that hour. Who knows what was going through the mind of the red-and-white manager, increasingly pressured by the points gap regarding the top two teams and the poor image of a Girona that was not convincing, but that at least during an important stretch of the League was getting positive results until they suddenly stopped.

Pushing and shoving

And then there was light at the Tartiere, with a comeback as unpredictable as it was necessary. Manufactured in the blink of an eye, by fits and starts, with two plays that have nothing to do with the footballing model that just a few years ago left Montilivi stunned with joy every weekend. Abel Ruiz and Pyshchur decided to invite themselves to a party that wasn't even organized. The goals arrived with suspense and the fortune that Carles Pérez hadn't had earlier, when the woodwork spat out his shot.

Fate smiled upon Girona, damaged by the absence of its two top scorers, Vanat and Asprilla, due to the FIFA virus, alongside the center-back Junior and the many injuries the squad is suffering. Abel Ruiz scored on the last ball he touched, because the fourth official was waiting for the ball to go out of play to raise the board and show his number, as a substitute; and Pyshchur counted on the complicity of an accidental deflection from Van de Beek. It was the first goal in the League for the giant from the pine, decisive for a triumph that was corroborated by Gazzaniga's final saves.