Valencia achieved a fundamental victory against Girona that not only takes them an important step towards salvation. Furthermore, he was partly reconciled with the stands who were grateful for his team’s reaction, when his nerves could have been most strangled. At the end of the game, everyone hugged Dimitrievski who prevented a goal from Stuani in the 91st minute when the visiting team had already closed in on the black and whites. With 39 points, Corberán’s team – which was spared the reproaches – is moving away from the relegation places, although it will have to continue fighting, like Girona, which remains with 38, after a chain of two defeats.
It was the Catalan team that turned the game on with Ounahi and, especially, Thomas Lemar playing inside to upset a Valencia that did not come out to see them coming like on other afternoons. Corberán’s team worked with Ramazani’s diagonals. After one of them, Sadiq missed an easy shot inside the area from a pass from the Belgian winger. Before, the Nigerian striker claimed a penalty from Blind when he tried to head a Gayá cross. It was the typical grip that he releases before it becomes flagrant. Even so, the most dangerous action came after a combination between Javi Guerra and Beltrán inside the area, which the Argentine striker finished off the outside post.
Girona seemed more crouched than lethargic, with a tendency to hit Renzo Saravia’s side more, who saw a yellow although he forced another one from Álex Moreno. And, furthermore, the Catalan team knows how to run when necessary. In the last play of the first half, Beltrán stopped a Lemar counterattack from a foul. And Echeverri was about to put his team ahead with a great direct free kick that went wide by centimeters.
Valencia, however, did not come out with fear in the second half. He wanted to put one more gear into the game. And it was Ramazani who stepped on the accelerator. Javi Guerra changed the game with a running pass from the Belgian winger. He cut down Vitor Reis inside the area and shot at the long post. Somersaults on the grass and in the stands. In full local effervescence, Gayá put in a cross with his right foot for Sadiq to make it 2-0 with a header, after getting rid of Blind.
Before serving from the center, Michel made a triple change with an immediate surprise effect. Because the recently entered Alejandro Francés put a pass into the area that Joel Roca, who also just entered, finished off at the far post. The atmosphere became somewhat strained even though the game was better for the locals than it had been ten minutes ago. But Girona was seen with another spark. Corberán reacted in each change window that the rival team’s bench moved.
The visiting team was locking in a Valencia team that understood that they had to suffer to resist. Dimitrievski avoided a called goal from Stuani. And then, Diego López deflected another shot from the Uruguayan striker into a corner after a commotion in the area.