Girona takes a trip down memory lane against Alavés

GironaIt was when they were in dire straits that Girona showed their desire to stay in La Liga, a will that until now had only been glimpsed in dribs and drabs. This is how it goes; we often don't get our act together until necessity demands it. Girona were fighting for their lives, and they defeated Alavés (1-0) to temporarily climb out of the relegation zone. Míchel's men, just as the manager wanted, suffered, fought, and ran together. Perhaps not in that order or in the same amounts, but they did it. Luck also appeared at the ideal moments, contributing to a victory that puts a pause on the debate surrounding the manager's position. For now, Míchel is untouchable.

But it wasn't just a matter of putting in the effort, because Girona were also superior, in terms of football, to an Alavés side that didn't react until the second half, after a triple substitution at halftime. The Catalans, led by a phenomenal Ounahi who seems determined to make every play his best of the season, executed the plan far better and created a plethora of chances to secure a much wider margin of victory. Despite the internal and external nervousness of being bottom of the table, there was no sense of fear whatsoever. What was on display was desire and beautiful football. Like before, when everything was beautiful. Who knows if they've taken a time machine to recapture it.

The strokes of luck came at two key moments. Just before Tsygankov's goal, a combination between Denis and Mariano resulted in a rather tame shot from the Galician that broke through the Atlético defense. And then in the second half, Montilivi was stunned when Blanco found the back of the net. Just as the visitors were celebrating and the ball was still in the middle of the pitch, ready to restart play with the score tied, VAR alerted the referee that he was offside. He didn't even need to review the image.

Gazzaniga, second clean sheet

For a stretch of the match, Míchel's men, who never let up, regretted not having capitalized on more chances to secure a more comfortable lead. But Girona are finding it incredibly difficult to score. Stuani did score, but he was also offside. Ounahi's shot from the edge of the box grazed the top corner, and a chance for Bryan went narrowly wide. In their own area, Gazzaniga was alert to a clearance by Mariano after a weak back pass from Vitor Reis, and also to a shot from Aleñá, which he blocked well. It's the Argentine's second clean sheet of the season.

Beyond individual performances and chances, every single Girona player, from the first to the last, attacked with the intensity of a team whose fate was decided today: they won second balls, dominated most individual duels, and collected every loose ball. Míchel applauded. The stands applauded. In short, everyone was pulling together. Too many points have already slipped away at Montilivi; these had to stay here. Competing like this, survival isn't guaranteed, but at least it's achievable.