They came back against Girona in a hard-fought and colorful duel in Montilivi. The locals won the possession game and took the lead with a goal from Vanat after a strategic play. But in the second half, Celta punished with the success that their rival lacked. When it seemed that Girona had greater control of the match, the team led by Giráldez came back with a powerful shot from Jutglà and an own goal from Vitor Reis to condemn the match (1-2).
Míchel, in search of his climb in the classification, only changed one piece in the starting eleven compared to the last game: he brought on Fran Beltrán, formerly of Celta, instead of Iván Martín. A Celta that slept sixth and with the extra push of having made it to the second round of the Europa League nine years later. To mitigate the effort, Giráldez changed half the team.
The battle was in possession. At first, Girona won the game. Celta looked for man-to-man pressure, trying to recover the ball. Míchel asked his players to circulate the ball quickly, seeking the fatigue of the Galician team. But it was difficult for the locals to get the ball from behind, and when it managed to reach Radu’s area, it retreated at full speed.
It seemed that any mistake by the locals could lead to a dangerous counterattack by the Galicians, who teamed up perfectly. The threat was generated by Mingueza, with a shot against the crossbar, and Jutglà with a shot from point-blank range that Gazzaniga stopped in a display of reflexes.
But the goal came for Girona. From a corner, Witsel combed the ball back in a practiced play, and Vanat shot past Radu. Girona took a step forward; Also Fer López, who took advantage of a recovery to stand in front of Gazzaniga and finish. The ball, deflected by Blind, hit the post and crossed the goal line while Montilivi held his breath.
When Míchel was breathing easy, with the match apparently under control, a powerful shot from Jutglà tied the match and unleashed his nerves. Girona reacted, brought out Ounahi and created more chances in the area, but they lacked success, and Celta finished the job. Mingueza returned, crossed looking for Jutglà and found the foot of Vitor Reis, who in his attempt to clear put the ball into his goal. Not even Ounahi’s magic could reverse the defeat.
