A 3-0 game changed the pattern of the championship, and the big dark horse rose to No. 2, surpassing Barcelona and chasing Real Madrid
The 26th round of La Liga has a match, Girona hosts Rayo Vallecano. Girona is a big dark horse in La Liga this season, with a total value of only 220 million euros, but they have played very well and entered the championship group. However, Girona's results have slipped in recent times, with three games without a win in a row, first to a draw with Real Sociedad, then a heavy defeat to Real Madrid and then to Athletic Bilbao. Dropping eight points from three games has allowed Girona's title prospects to deteriorate rapidly. This time, Girona returned to their home stadium to face the weaker Rayo Vallecano, and as a result, Girona won and walked out of the winless circle.
Girona lined up 4231 in this match. Top scorer Dofbick was at the front. The attacking duo of Savio, Potu and Tsygankov combined to strike. Herrera and Alex Garcia form a back two. The back four of Jan Coto, Eric Garcia, Lopes and Gutiérrez started the game. Gasaniga was the starting goalkeeper. Stuani and Ivan Martin were on the bench.
Shortly after the start of the game, Savio had a good chance, but his close-range shot was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 18th minute, Herrera's powerful shot was blocked by his opponent. In the 35th minute, Herrera's header hit the goal, but it was too straight, and the goalkeeper easily confiscated the ball while standing still. At half-time, the score was still 0-0!Girona had 60% possession in the first half, but only had 4 shots on goal, 1 on target, and failed to score. Rayo Vallecano, on the other hand, had no three shots on target in the first half.
In the second half, it was easy to play again. In the 52nd minute, Girona finally scored! Gutierrez sent an inverted triangle back pass on the left side of the penalty area, and Tsygankov pushed it directly, and the ball drilled into the bottom right corner of the goal. Seven minutes later, Poto scored with a header, but the goal was invalidated because the ball had gone off the line. In the 76th minute, Chavarria was sent off for a foul with two yellows and one red. In stoppage time, Savio exploded, scoring two goals in quick succession and kicking Rayo Vallecano out at once. In the end, Girona beat Rayo Vallecano 3-0.
This game changed the landscape of La Liga's title race. With three points, Girona has risen to second place with a total of 59 points, becoming Real Madrid's biggest rival. Real Madrid lead the way with 65 points, six points ahead of Girona. Such a lead is not very large. Barcelona had only 57 points and dropped to third place. Barcelona is only 2 points behind Girona, and there is still hope to surpass Girona in the future, after all, Barcelona's form has improved a lot during this time. In fourth place is Atletico Madrid, with 52 points. Atletico are only three points ahead of Athletic Bilbao and will not be able to drop points easily if they want to retain fourth place.