Girona drop points in the 99th minute as Alaves spark ecstasy in Mendizorroza and relief in Barcelona | OneFootball

Alaves 2-2 Girona

There were stages of Girona’s win in Vitoria-Gasteiz where they looked as if they would be unable to stem the flow of Alaves attacks, but some adjustments in the second half saw Girona ultimately cruise to what they thought was victory. Only there was an Basque sting at the very tip of the tail.

It took Eric Garcia just four minutes to convert from a corner, looping a header back where it came from and into the corner. That was part of an electric start to the match, as Jon Guridi then equalised. He side-footed home a cutback from Giovanni Simeone, as Diego’s son and Javi Lopez marauded down the left.

That occurred in the 12th minute, and Kike Garcia’s effort skimmed across goal shortly after. Alaves would continue punishing the full-back areas for the next half hour, and had multiple chances to take the lead.

At the other end, Girona remained dangerous though, with Savio thwarted one-on-one by Jesus Owono. There was little he could do about Yangel Herrera’s thunderbolt into the top corner though, as he ran onto Artem Dovbyk’s backheel for a lovely goal.

In the second half, Girona took control and started playing some lovely football. More brilliant interplay saw Savio curl wide, while Dovbyk escaped in behind too, forcing a save from Owono’s feet. Yan Couto would also fail to convert a good chance, but Girona’s momentum slowed after Miguel Gutierrez went off holding his knee.

In the final stages, both Michel Sanchez and Luis Garcia Plaza were irate on the touchline, as the game drifted towards a conclusion. It looked as if Girona had done enough though. A bad-tempered finish saw several yellow cards brandished, including a pushing match between Owono and a Girona physio.

That extended the six minutes of added time, and with 99 minutes on the clock. A long ball to the far post finally found Nahuel Tenaglia’s head, who kept it alive. Amid a sea of bodies, time seemed to slow for Guridi to nod home unencumbered into the corner, causing mayhem at Mendizorroza.

Alaves move a point above Sevilla into 11th, a point behind Getafe, continuing their good sensations. There will be real frustration on Girona’s part though, who move two points clear of Barcelona in second, but second spot is back in Blaugrana hands if they win out their final four games, albeit that is far from a given.