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The dressing room entrance at the back facing Fofó Street made Míchel’s walk to the bench a short walk, with his fans standing. At the same stands were several banners honoring both the neighborhood’s customs and class consciousness. “Míchel, María’s grandson, welcome to the neighborhood,” it read. Vallecas paid tribute to the boy who was formed in the harsh reality of his streets, shining first as a midfielder and then as a coach, achieving promotion to the First Division and good mornings of good football. This Saturday was great because it was entertaining. To see two teams who insisted that there was football beyond the Madrid-Barcelona duopoly. Girona won (1-2) because they played very well and because they knew how to win if they asserted their superiority, which was not always the case.
1
Dimitrievski, Abdul Moomin, Andrei Ratiu (De Frutos, Min. 78), Lejeune, Luis Espino, Óscar Valentín, Unai López (Kike, Min. 67), Álvaro García (Bebé, Min. 78), Isi, Trejo (Nteka, Min. 59) and Sergio Camello (Falcao, Min. 67)
2
Gazzaniga, Arnau Martinez, Daley Blind, Eric Garcia, Aleix García, Iván Martín (Valery Fernández, min. 84), Tsygankov (Yan Couto, min. 78), Miguel Gutierrez, Sávio, Dovbyk (Stuani, min. 78) and Yangel Herrera
Goals 1-0 min 5: Álvaro García. 1-1 min 42: Dovbyk. 1-2 min. 65: Sávio.
referee Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes
Yellow cards Miguel Gutierrez (min. 13), Álvaro García (min. 43) and Iván Martín (min. 72)
He also won Girona because he has a competitive advantage. He came back a week ago on a rough field like El Sadar and this Saturday he managed another win against a responsive and threatening Rayo. There are now 34 points, eleven wins and one draw, and Míchel’s players seem to be animated by the signs that they will fail at some point. There is currently no sign of this in his dynamic and courageous football.
Rayo lost, but generated play and chances to draw and even win. From a long shootout, 33 shots on goal by both teams and a game full of captivating tactical and technical details, the league leaders emerged victorious, taking advantage of their chances as their high school game came out. In terms of the game, the draw would have satisfied both of them equally.
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If there is a stadium with an evening tradition, it is the Rayo, which was filled, attracted by the figure of one of its myths and the attractive game of its Girona, which presented itself as a leader at the event and emerged stronger for another day. Girona held on to their podium despite attacks from their rivals in the early stages of each half. Rayo’s beginnings delighted because they were dizzying and ambitious. His first 20 minutes were imperious and uncompromising. Their initial pressure was so overwhelming that it took Girona almost ten minutes to appear in Dimitrievski’s penalty area.
It was this pressure that led to Rayo’s goal. The ever-present Isi fought a ball on the edge of the Gazzaniga area and the rebound went to Álvaro García. The winger controlled the ball with his chest and unleashed a taut right hand that snuck in after hitting the post. Vallecas was furious and saw his team play for another ten minutes. Camello was able to get in the way after Eric García was knocked down, but Gazzaniga responded to his cross shot with a good hand.
If anyone knows that playing in Vallecas with more than three touches of the ball favors the opponent’s defense due to his size, it is Míchel. It took his players more than 20 minutes to understand it. Francisco’s own players had shown him this as he managed the fastest championship team in transitions. Rayo lacks assertiveness, but in this sense its coach has managed to maintain the verticality of play that Iraola gave him.
As they got used to the need to release the ball quickly, the Girona that was so beautiful to watch emerged. Football that fills the eye. Perhaps Míchel is one of the coaches who has best internalized Guardiola’s legacy. Their full-backs also become interior players or even playmakers, as in the case of Miguel Gutiérrez. There are also constant cuts to their players due to the height differences in the area, another very Guardiolesque sequence. The former Madrid player was the first to send his team into turmoil. He appeared in the interior corridors and his excitement was accompanied by Aleix García, the first international player in the history of his club after the appointment of De la Fuente, Tsygankov, Savinho and Dovbyk. Together, in the last 30 meters, they greased the combination machinery with precision and speed that Míchel developed to break down closed defenses.
A thread from Iván Martín behind one of these walls at the front of the area was embellished by Dimitrievski with an aesthetic and effective flight to tuck the glove. The Macedonian goalkeeper also saw from the ground how Lejeune cleared the ball against the post on the goal line after a spur shot from Dovbyk. They already liked Girona, with Arnau and Blind acting as central defenders and also as liberos to attack spaces or help build up. Dovbyk tied the game on another play that resulted in a draw after Isi lost the ball. The Ukrainian intercepted Tsygankov’s back pass.
With the draw tied, Rayo tried again to win with an intimidating start after half time. Camello headed against the post, Pacha Espino challenged Gazzaniga and Trejo’s shot deflected off Eric García’s touch and hit the crossbar. Rayo didn’t capitalize on his dominance, but neither did he relinquish it as much as he did after his underwhelming first start. It happened that Girona are also a surgical team and in another defeat they put together another rapid symphony of touches that Savinho ultimately won.
Girona was already ahead and was able to end the game with a counterattack. Yangel hit the post and Stuani didn’t have another clear chance. All in the middle of a Rayo that did not lose face for the game. Vallecas did not receive the reward of a draw, but he had the consolation of saying goodbye to Michel when he received it. Stand and celebrate the success of one of them.
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