Real Sociedad visited Montilivi and, without much fanfare, secured a 1-1 draw that leaves Girona against the ropes. Míchel's team needed all three points to keep their survival hopes alive, but they came up against an opponent who, with nothing at stake, knew how to manage the game. An early goal from Brais Méndez was answered by a penalty converted by Stuani, but the lack of local bite in the second half was decisive. With this result, Girona depends on a miracle to avoid relegation to the Second Division.
Lack of high pressing and ball distribution conditioned the plan ⚽
Girona's tactical system showed deficiencies in defensive transition. Real Sociedad, with an organized medium press in a 4-4-2 formation, neutralized the ball distribution from the Girona center-backs. The absence of a positional midfielder to provide a clean outlet forced the full-backs to play long balls, losing possession in advanced areas. Furthermore, Girona's high defensive line was punished on several occasions by the runs of Oyarzabal and Kubo, who created spaces between the center-backs and full-backs. Without a clear structure to break lines, the home attack became predictable and easy for the San Sebastian block to read.
Girona gets tangled in its own GPS 🧭
Watching Girona try to play out from the back with the nonchalance of a team with all the time in the world was almost poetic. The problem was they were losing 1-0 and the clock was ticking. The local players seemed more concerned with completing horizontal passes than with seeking the opponent's goal. In the 80th minute, with the score tied, the home fans were calling for crosses into the box, but the team opted for slow triangulations that looked more like a warm-up exercise. In the end, Real Sociedad left with a point and Girona, with the feeling that relegation is not deserved, but they have passed their way into it.