Girona suffered a costly 1–0 defeat to Real Sociedad B at Zubieta on Tuesday, conceding a late goal after playing nearly 75 minutes down a man following a controversial red card to defender David López. Unai Astiazarán scored the decisive goal in the 86th minute, breaking a resilient defensive effort by the visitors and halting Girona’s three-match winning streak across league and cup competitions.
David López Dismissal Alters the Match at Zubieta
The turning point arrived at the quarter-hour mark. Referee José Antonio Villalobos initially waved away penalty appeals after David López challenged Lebarbier inside the Girona box. Following a VAR review prompted by the official monitor, Villalobos pointed to the spot and issued a straight red card to the Girona central defender for a trailing boot. The decision stunned the visitors, who argued the punishment exceeded the infraction.
🧤 ¡Paulo GAZZANIGA Farías!❌ El guardameta del @GironaFC detiene el penalti.#LALIGAHighlights | #LALIGAHYPERMOTION pic.twitter.com/jeRdalwDB5
Paulo Gazzaniga immediately rescued his side by diving to stop the resulting penalty from Jon Karrikaburu Díaz and turning away the follow-up attempt from the Real Sociedad B forward. That stop kept the score level as Quique Álvarez restructured his lineup, sacrificing forward Unai Hernández to introduce defender Mumin in the 21st minute.
Girona Attacks Dry Up After Red Card
Entering the fixture as joint-top scorers in the division alongside Castellón and Almería, Girona struggled to generate fluid attacking sequences with ten men. The Basque reserve side controlled possession without carving out clear openings during a cagey first half, though Balda struck the crossbar with a cross-shot before the interval.
As the match wore into the final stages, the tempo increased. Girona created three scoring opportunities through Portu and Carles Pérez but failed to convert. Just as the visitors appeared set to secure a hard-fought draw, Astiazarán struck a routine shot from distance in the 86th minute that slipped past Gazzaniga to settle the contest.
Missed Opportunity in the Promotion Race
The defeat leaves Girona empty-handed in San Sebastián, missing a clear chance to close the gap on the automatic promotion places. Real Sociedad B secured their first home victory of the season and snapped a six-match losing run in front of 1,191 spectators at Zubieta.
Girona used the following starting lineup: Gazzaniga; Mate (Francés, 74′), David López, Junior, Àlex Moreno, Beltrán, Izan (Lass, 74′), Unai Hernández (Mumin, 21′), Asprilla (Portu, 74′), Carles Pérez, and Vanat (Pyshchur, 57′). Real Sociedad B deployed Olasagasti, Ruperez, Calderón, Kita (Ayo, 85′), Balda, Carbonell, Lebarbier (Eceizabarrena, 62′), Díaz, Marchal (Aguirre, 62′), Mariezkurrena (Astiazarán, 62′), and Soroeta (Carrera, 62′).
Related reading
