On to the quarters!
The connection between Portu and Stuani makes Montilivi vibrate again and allows us to keep dreaming about the Cup
Girona want to keep dreaming in the Copa del Rey and today they went for broke to settle the tie against Rayo. Míchel Sánchez's men scored three goals in the first half hour to give them a decisive advantage to reach the quarter-finals, and on Friday they will meet their opponent. The connection between Portu and Stuani that has given us so much joy has once again made Montilivi vibrate, and despite Rayo trying to react, the team has been solid and has been able to manage the result. In addition, Antal made his debut and completed the whole second half with an impeccable performance in the centre of defence.
The team started the match with a lot of hunger and dominated the game, threatening the visitors' area. The first goal came very early, and after fifteen minutes Tsygankov filtered a ball into space for Portu, who assisted at the far post and Stuani pushed the ball home. With no time to celebrate, Portu was once again in the spotlight to provoke a penalty which the Uruguayan converted. With great calm and serenity, he took it 'panenka' style through the middle, completely fooling the goalkeeper.
Girona's momentum did not stop, and Portu again picked up the second action from a corner to assist the third goal. On this occasion it was the Dutchman Daley Blind who anticipated the near post to cross the ball and send it into the back of the net. A third goal that made Montilivi explode, aware that the quarter-finals were approaching. Even before the break, Nteka took advantage of a mistake on the ball to close the gap and put Rayo back in the game.
The team was very serious defensively to prevent Rayo Vallecano from putting fear into the Red and Whites, and they even had chances to extend the score. Girona were able to convert the fast pace of the first half into a pause in the second half to maintain control and seal the victory. In the last few minutes, Sávio had the chance to seal the win, but he came up against the crossbar on the goal line.
Girona thus equalled their best-ever participation in this competition, and are now just one round away from reaching the semi-finals. Next week they will play an exciting quarter-final with the opponent still to be determined. The team does not stop and wants to continue making history in the Copa del Rey.
