1-1 at Benito Villamarín and 0-0 at Nuevo Mirandilla
MADRID, 21 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Girona FC, leader of LaLiga EA Sports, tied (1-1) on their visit to Real Betis Balompié by conceding a late goal from Germán Pezzella, during matchday 18 where this Thursday also saw a goalless draw Real Sociedad at home against Cádiz CF.
At the Benito Villamarín Stadium, Héctor Bellerín's early injury did not upset the locals, who had two clear chances in the boots of Ayoze Pérez and then Assane Diao. But Savinho Moreira emerged to encourage Girona with attempts on the left wing, replicated with a shot by Willian José from the edge of the area.
Paulo Gazzaniga made a good intervention and that served as a prelude to 0-1 (39'). After receiving a pass from Pablo Torre, Savinho rushed to the baseline and was tripped by Aitor Ruibal inside the area. The referee signaled a penalty and Artem Dovbyk coolly took it; As soon as the second half began, Dovbyk himself even touched the second.
Savinho also bothered Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva with a high shot, but the Girona team slowed down after several substitutions. Betis took advantage of this to push hard and, in a chaos with two rejections after a corner, equalized the score (88') through a strong right foot from Germán Pezzella from the edge of the area.
Although Daley Blind and Cristhian Stuani had two chances for Girona in injury time, the Villamarín striker did not move any further. This harvest helped Míchel Sánchez's pupils reach 45 points at the top of the league, while the green and white team reached 28 points to remain within the slipstream of European positions.
ATTACKS WITHOUT PRIZE IN THE NEW MIRANDILLA
On the other hand, at the Nuevo Mirandilla Stadium, Real Sociedad signed its third 0-0 in a row, this time in a duel that began with dominance of its rival. The 'txuri-urdin' goalkeeper, Álex Remiro, excelled by sending an involuntary shot by Igor Zubeldia towards his goal to a corner and, later, with a point-blank save in a one-on-one against Chris Ramos.
However, the San Sebastian team improved upon returning to the locker room and it was evident in the 58th minute with a shot by Martin Zubimendi hitting the crossbar, from the penalty spot and following a cross from Take Kubo. Cádiz responded through Chris Ramos, following a header that Remiro once again successfully cleared from a corner kick.
Despite the fact that the Cádiz people showed self-confidence towards the opposing goal, the match ended goalless. Sergio González's pupils, who have not won in the First Division since last September 1, are at the bottom of the table with 15 points; and Real Sociedad, now with 31 points, sits in sixth place.