In a match filled with twists and turns, Girona fell to Feyenoord at the end, leaving them stranded on zero points after two matchdays in the Champions League.
There were great cries of hope and despair intertwined in a boiling Montilivi when the ball appeared to hit the hand of a Dutch player in the penalty area. As the game approached the dying moments, the Swiss referee, initially firm, called for a VAR review under pressure from Girona’s players. Some extra suspense lingered until a conclusion that saw pivotal moments scattered throughout the match, including an own goal (the third in four conceded goals, following Gazzaniga’s in Paris) and missed penalties. Ultimately, the handball was not confirmed, and suddenly all Catalan eyes turned to gloom, filled with sadness and a massive void. Girona was defeated, left on the canvas after an incredible match where the fate hung uncertainly in the wind. Such is the Champions League! A dark sky accompanied the Catalan people at the gates of Montilivi.
In the center of the pitch, a group of Dutch men dressed in black, perhaps mourning their opponents, opened their arms in celebration of the wild joy that had just fallen upon them. Facing them, the “Legion,” drenched to the skin, sang “Vamos a la playa.” Feyenoord, dismantled by Leverkusen (0-4) on the opening day, snatched victory and their first points in this new league format. The complete opposite for the Catalans, who still lament a zero on the scoreboard, failing to write a story for the 94-year-old club as hoped by coach Michel Sanchez the day before. The old lady was stooped as she left the pitch yesterday but could perhaps find some consolation.
“Of course, the defeat hurts. But I am not worried. I appreciated my team’s performance for 70 minutes. I believe we did not deserve to lose. It could easily have been 3-3, right?” analyzed Michel Sanchez at the press conference.
Despite the hurdles, after their performance at the Parc, they showed they are ready for the high seas (65% possession). The frail vessel sailing in the same waters as Ibiza, Amorebieta, Ponferradina, or Fuenlabrada has gained solid ground, and it will pay off. Without doubt. Against Slovan Bratislava on October 22, at Montilivi. “Yes, it’s true we have gone six matches without a win, but it’s going to change,” continued the coach.
But what if Macedonian striker Miovki had converted that penalty in the 67th minute? Just as there was time to write this, Van de Beek took advantage of Danjuma’s breakthrough to snatch the long-awaited equalizer (2-2, 72). An advantage that vanished ten minutes later with a second own goal from Krejci, following Herrera’s in the 22nd, just two minutes after David Lopez scored with a fierce header (20). “Two own goals, surely that’s not common. But for me, bad luck does not exist in football. It will come. Except for against Barça, we have always competed well,” reassured the coach, already looking ahead to the upcoming match in Bilbao, in La Liga.
