Girona reclaimed the top spot in La Liga with a 1-0 win at Rafa Benitez’s Celta Vigo on Sunday, thanks to a Portu strike early in the first half and to their goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, who excelled for the unexpected season leaders.
Girona sits alone at the summit with 55 points after 22 games, one ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who has a game in hand and face Getafe on Thursday. Real and Girona will clash at Santiago Bernabeu in two weeks.
Barcelona is a distant third on 44 points after enduring a traumatic 5-3
loss to visitors Villarreal on Saturday before their coach Xavi Hernandez announced he was stepping down as manager at the end of the season.
After being knocked out of the Copa del Rey in a 3-2 loss at Mallorca in midweek, Girona bounced back and played a solid match at Vigo against a Celta side who are struggling at 16th in the standings, just above the relegation zone.
Celta started the game on top and almost scored in the 18th minute with an Oscar Mingueza thunderous strike from range that Gazzaniga thwarted, palming it around the post to a corner.
Girona hit back two minutes later when Portu pounced on a Miguel Gutierrez low cross to clear a defender with a quick cut before unleashing an unstoppable close-range strike past goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.
From then on, Gazzaniga worked his magic to produce a superb performance to keep out the home side and help secure the three points.
He made an outstanding reflex save to palm a Jorgen Strand Larsen header from close range off the crossbar and denied two Anastasios Douvikas efforts one-on-one before the break.
In the second half, he held on to a Luca de la Torre strike from range, before Girona started to take control of the action, slowed down the pace and managed to protect their narrow win.
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