The Champions League does not forgive mistakes, especially if they are made by the goalkeeper, nor does it show mercy to friendly teams, not even Girona. Míchel’s boys let a draw slip through their fingers, just as the match reached the 90th minute, which they had heroically earned at the famous Parc des Princes. Gazzaniga, the hero of the day, cruelly became the villain when he swallowed a seemingly simple cross from the left by Bruno Mendes. The move spoiled a commendable performance by the white-and-reds against a better opponent like PSG.
1
Matvey Safonov, Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Fabián Ruiz (João Neves, min. 62), Vitinha (Lee Kang-In, min. 62), Marco Asensio (Randal Kolo Muani, min. . 38), Ousmane Dembélé (Beraldo, min. 91) and Bradley Barcola (Désiré Doué, min. 62)
0
Paulo Gazzaniga, Ladislav Krejcí, Miguel Gutiérrez, Arnau Martínez, David López, Oriol Romeu, Viktor Tsyhankov (Alejandro Francés, min. 87), Bryan Gil (Yáser Asprilla, min. 65), Iván Martín (Jhon Solís, min. 65) , Donny van de Beek (Arnaut Danjuma, min. 57) and Cristhian Stuani (Portu, min. 57)
Goals
1-0 min. 89: Gazzaniga
Referee Daniel Siebert
Marquinhos (min. 16), Ladislav Krejci (min. 19), Oriol Romeu (min. 42), Gazzaniga (min. 73)
The Champions League liturgy sounded like heavenly music for Girona until Gazzaniga was defeated. The paraphernalia surrounding the tournament is intoxicating for debuting teams because it means arriving in the promised land of football, a territory of rich people and champions, and also of eternal aspirants like PSG. No one better than Stuani to personify Girona’s peak moment. At 37 years old, the Uruguayan is the team’s guiding thread, the player who has fought on the most difficult fields in Spain until reaching Paris. He never stopped scoring goals as a starter or since he became a regular substitute, an idol at Montilivi. Míchel was sensitive to the Uruguayan’s career in the white-red team, to his sense of belonging, and granted him the captaincy in the debut against PSG. The gesture of the coach, always careful with the details, crowned Stuani and certified Girona’s success. The Uruguayan played from the start and also the central defender Krejci as well as Van de Beek. The line-up was no small matter after Sunday’s thrashing by Barça. And Míchel’s hand was felt for the better, as is usual, because for a good while Girona managed to ensure that nothing much happened at the Paris stadium.
PSG faded after a quarter of an hour of high intensity and some attacks that did not find Gazzaniga’s goal. The French champions are no longer Mbappé’s team. The striker signed by Madrid was the problem and the solution for the French champions. The cult of the footballer did not help them win a Champions League that also slipped away with a player who today seems like an ex-footballer like Neymar. The failure of the individualities now favours the leadership of a very competitive coach who bets on the collective game like Luis Enrique. The team, however, is under construction at a time when it cannot allow itself to make concessions after the rivals it has been lucky enough to face in Europe. The bet on Asensio did not work out well because the striker was injured and had to be replaced by Kolo Muani.
The French were unable to find a way to create passing lines or get into shooting positions due to Girona’s good defensive organisation. They also had no space to run against an opponent who welcomed the return of Oriol Romeu. The centre-midfield was a good support for a team that, on the other hand, was far from PSG’s goal. Van de Beek and Stuani were not connecting and Bryan Gil was not coming into play. The white-and-red team preferred to protect their pitch, concentrating on not making mistakes, very physically demanded by the possession of the ball by Luis Enrique’s team. The complacency lasted until half-time because Girona let loose at the restart and proposed an exchange of blows that made Míchel’s hair stand on end. Ambition prevailed over prudence to show the personality of the team, always brave in the League and now in the Champions League, also against PSG.
Luis Enrique’s boys benefited from the game breaking up, especially Dembélé, a ambidextrous sprinter who has gained more presence without Mbappé. The striker provoked a very meritorious save from Gazzaniga after Krejci caught up with him and sliced the ball off him in a sprint race that amazed the crowd at the Parc des Princes. Stuani also intimidated Safonov in one of the few opportunities for Míchel’s team. The white-and-reds applied themselves defensively after showing that they were not intimidated by the opponent or impressed by the pitch, to the pride of the almost thousand fans who travelled from Girona.
Once the opening goal was confirmed, the excitement was over, and it was now a matter of negotiating a good result, an undertaking that required Gazzaniga’s accuracy and the lack of aim of forwards like Kolo Muani. The goalkeeper was splendid until a final play that could not be remedied and brought the match back to the beginning, to the excitement, to the joy of a historic night in 94 years of life, when nobody was paying attention to the score in Girona.
