Jhon Solís became Girona’s hero in Vitoria by rescuing three golden points against Deportivo Alavés with a goal in added time after a blunder by Moussa Diarra in an attempted clearance inside the area.
The Colombian was the fastest and did not forgive Jesús Owono, after a second half that had an albiazul color and in which Tomás Conechny had the best chances of the clash with a mistake with the empty goal and another from outside the area that Gazzaniga saved .
Solís, hero in Vitoria – Photo: L. Rico (EFE)
Girona started better, with more ball and more dangerous attacks from the first minutes, but failed to find the goal of Jesús Owono, who made his debut this season as a starter.
Solís, hero in Vitoria – Photo: L. Rico (EFE)Míchel’s men tried it in several ways, on the counterattack, from set pieces, between the lines and from afar, but they did not adjust their shots in the final meters. Even Bryan Gil was close to scoring an Olympic goal. Meanwhile, Alavés looked for counterattacks and the back of Girona’s advanced defense.
Kike García had two dangerous shots, but the Catalan team’s defense bothered him enough so that he was not comfortable in his actions. There were two timid arrivals in the first half hour of a clash that did not have the expected pace.
In the 30th minute, Eduardo Coudet was forced to make a double change due to the injuries of Carlos Martín and Joan Jordán, which left their place for Tomás Conechny and Ander Guevara.
The lack of competition in recent times was noticeable in some players. In fact, Miguel had to retire with discomfort and his place was occupied by Danjuma. Tomás Conechny had the 1-0 in his boots, but his shot went over Gazzaniga’s goal.
In that play, the referee awarded a penalty for pushing the Argentine’s shot, but, after consulting it on the VAR monitor, he corrected his decision and the duel reached half-time with a tie (0-0).
Both had options before heading into the locker room tunnel. Alavés had the clearest chance in a corner kick that ended with a centered shot by Abdel Abqar.
After passing through the locker room, the match got lively. Carlos Vicente put Míchel’s team in trouble with his speed on the right, although he did not find partners in his balls into the area.
Girona judiciously balanced possession with Danjuma and Bryan Gil close to the wings and trying to confront their peers, but the local defense was solid and well positioned.
The Argentine Tomás Conechny once again had a very clear chance in the 63rd minute. The winger accompanied an Albiazul counterattack after a Girona corner and Carlos Vicente found him at the far post to score at will, but, incomprehensibly, he finished high.
That play spurred the locals, who, at times, put their rival in the area, but to no avail, despite some distant shots that tried to surprise Gazzaniga.
As the game entered its final stretch, Cristhian Stuani was about to make the play of the afternoon with his pressure on Jesús Owono. The goalkeeper waited too long to clear the ball, hit the striker’s body and was close to entering the goal.
When everything seemed like it was going to end in a tie, an error in a clear clearance by Moussa Diarra ended with the ball in the boots of Jhon Solís, who did not forgive Jesús Owono and gave the three points to Girona, after part of the The stands will criticize Coudet’s change when he decided to introduce Villalibre after receiving the goal.
