GIRONAWhen he arrived in Girona, Míchel Sánchez asked the workers in charge of advertising at the club to put two posters in the locker room. One can read “Girona pride”; in the other, “make history.” Pride and history, two concepts that in Ipurua were decisive in classifying the people of Girona for the third final of the play-off consecutive, the fifth in total. The coach has found sentimental stimuli that complement the new model of play, an absolute break with what was being practiced. “I need footballers to see it every time they walk in the door, because we’ve always considered it important to try to generate a feedback positive on a day-to-day basis, ”says Michel.
At last, the team benefited from everything that had tormented him years ago. If until now he was the one who ended the critical matches crying, on Sunday it was Eibar who did it. The joy with which Arnau and Terrats ran towards the white-and-red fans displaced in the Basque Country when the referee blew the whistle at the end of the match was an example of the beautiful lack of control that existed: players and coaches jumping headlong kind of sense, guided and overcome by emotions that they had not felt for a long time and that from today will serve as a reference, because this Girona lived the first night in which he really felt great. “The mentality has been brutal, I think the fans can feel well represented,” added the coach, who has qualified for the final of the play-off in its premiere in Montilivi.
It was hard to see how every time Girona tossed a coin in the air the wrong side appeared. But not anymore. In Ipurua there was no trace of past traumas. There was energy, determination and a desire to win. To counter Almeria, Zaragoza, Osasuna, Elche and Rayo – rivals that cause Girona nightmares – Juan Carlos had a sublime performance that prevented Eibar from adding to the list. To combat unwhistled penalties and unjust expulsions, the Virgin dressed as a crossbeam to avoid a terrible upset.
“This goal is not just mine, we have all scored this goal: teammates and fans who have not stopped believing in us. There can be no empty seats on Saturday,” said Cristhian Stuani, the club’s top scorer in history. (106). Since we no longer know what to write, we will refer to the facts: no one, absolutely no one, has scored more goals than him in the nearly 92 years of the organization’s life.
Madness for an entry
Tickets for the first leg of the final will go on sale this Tuesday, with priority for members and subscribers. If there are still any left on Thursday, the process will be open to everyone. For the return, scheduled for Sunday 19, the club is studying how feasible it is to organize charter flights for fans, due to the high demand for requests, prices and the difficulty of carrying out a mass mobilization. Both the first and second games will be played at 9 p.m. Everyone in Girona is waiting for you.
