Girona’s fairytale debut campaign in the UEFA Champions League came to an eventful end on Wednesday, as the Blanquivermells fell victim to an inspired Arsenal comeback at the Estadi Montilivi.
The Catalan side had taken the lead inside the opening half hour, much to the delight of the home fans, but a penalty from Jorginho and a stunning curled effort from Ethan Nwaneri ensured that the Gunners had regained control before the break.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Girona’s Míchel expressed pride at how his players went toe-to-toe with “one of the best teams in the world.”
“I’m really happy for all of the players. They have given their all with great personality,” he added, reserving the highest praise for Arnaut Danjuma after he bagged the opener.
“Danjuma played a great game. We’ve demonstrated that we’ve been better against the top players. I’m very lucky with the players I have in this squad, and I am so proud of them,” he told reporters.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn the dying stages of Wednesday’s clash, Girona looked to have salvaged an incredible draw when Cristhian Stuani bundled home at the far post, only for the goal to be disallowed as Portu had strayed offside in the buildup.
“For us, it was a goal for Stuani,” Míchel said, highlighting the cruelty of VAR as he pointed out that “we were all able to celebrate it. It’s a shame he didn’t get on the scoreboard because he deserved it.”
A debut campaign in the UEFA Champions League has given Girona an insight into facing the world’s best teams, and the Blanquivermells have performed admirably throughout their time in the spotlight.
Narrow defeats against Arsenal, Liverpool, PSG and AC Milan have shown that this quaint town is more than capable of competing on European club football’s biggest stage, but Míchel recognised that “what we’re missing is consistency.”
“We’ve got to play 17 great games now [in LaLiga] to play in Europe again. It’s not going to be easy, but we’ll fight until the end,” he assured supporters.