GIRONABefore the start of the match, Girona fans were able to say goodbye to Aday Benítez. Microphone in hand, overwhelmed by emotions, stepped on the playing field for the last time. Reluctantly, street dress and not short. With the same delivery as always, conveying a commitment that will never be forgotten. It was raining, it was raining a lot. But it wasn’t rain, what was falling. They were tears from heaven, weeping for the farewell of a captain who did not deserve this end. “You made me feel loved and valued. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, ”he said. You will miss him so much that you better not think about him.
A couple of minutes later, the ball was rolling. Without him, one of the benchmarks of the last seven years, one of the captains of the best Girona in history. So fast and cold works the world we live in, that it treads everything in a way that it seems that nothing that has happened mattered. That what has been done is no longer valid if it is not maintained. Neither memory nor principles. When someone leaves, another arrives.
Michel’s team, in the stands after their two-match sanction, overcame a whole test of fire. He showed personality, Girona, cutting the streak of three consecutive defeats with a convincing and hard-fought victory against Valladolid (1-0). The goal, from the penalty spot and from Stuani, allows you to breathe, which as things were is already a great thing. Not only for the rival, favorite to ascend, but who accumulated two defeats in a row, but to change some sensations that had sent him to the relegation zone. He took Borja García, the undisputed starter but with little participation due to the high surveillance received. Stronger in defense, he tried to dare in attack. The game opted for the Girona side, but as always remained sterile in the area of three quarters of the field.
A cross from Ureña that Roberto almost swallowed, a header from outside Bernardo and a long chance from a spectacular Terrats. This was the initial baggage of a game in which Girona, in Michel’s words, needed to put passion into it. Maybe it’s not passion, what’s missing. Perhaps the problem is that every time he puts it on, reality has fucked up a slap in the face for those that are hard to assimilate. And that, consciously or not, also plays a role. To overcome this, space is needed.
Nacho gave a fright, with an attempt that hit the outside of the net. Valladolid was better when Girona finally saw the merits reflected in the facts thanks to a penalty that was going to kick Bustos, already with the ball in his hands. But the coach changed it for Stuani, who scored and ran to the bench to hug his teammate.
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