A double from Abdón Prats led the vermilion team to a 3-2 victory
MADRID, 24 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
RCD Mallorca beat Girona FC 3-2 this Wednesday, including a double from their striker Abdón Prats, and thus qualified for the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, after a single-leg quarterfinal tie that the vermilion team resolved at half an hour.
Son Moix vibrated with its players, who from the beginning neutralized the surprising leader of LaLiga EA Sports. Although Girona had not changed too many pieces from its usual league version, it missed the speed of Yan Couto and the hammer of Artem Dovbyk.
And the local team took advantage of it, spurred by Abdón Prats with a good opportunity in the 4th minute. Shortly after it was his partner in attack, Cyle Larin, who put goalkeeper Juan Carlos Martín in serious trouble with a powerful shot from the crown of the area.
With almost no reaction capacity among Míchel Sánchez's pupils, Mallorca opened the scoring after a sprint by Dani Rodríguez down the right wing in the 21st minute, beating Aleix García until giving a 'death' pass that Larin pushed wisely to the bottom of the net.
The visitors' response was not long in coming, through a left-footed shot that Savinho Moreira hooked and that the vermilion goalkeeper, Dominik Greif, sent to a corner kick with great skill. Just three minutes later, Prats made it 2-0 with another left foot shot; In his case, a weak clearance by Daley Blind was left in front and the local '9' did not waste it, connecting with a strong shot that Juan Carlos barely even smelled.
After half an hour, Larin unmarked himself from a long distance and controlled the ball on one side, he shot towards the goal and the ball hit the right arm of defender Antal Yaakobishvili as he turned. At the request of the VAR, referee José Luis Munuera Montero ordered the penalty and Prats benefited from it, scoring with his left foot the 3-0 score.
Míchel's team were a shadow of what they usually are in the League, so the Vallecano coach introduced Couto and Dovbyk at half-time, switching to a 4-2-4 formation. But it did not seem like the ideal afternoon for an epic comeback, since Girona was not going to an open grave.
SAVINHO GIVES BITTER HOPE IN THE DISCOUNT
Of course, the people of Girona had a glimmer of hope in the 66th minute, following a penalty committed by Antonio Raíllo due to a grab on Cristhian Stuani. The vermillion central defender received a first yellow card for that incident and, immediately afterwards, Munuera Montero showed him a second yellow card for the ostentatious protests.
Stuani himself converted the maximum penalty and there were still plenty of minutes to look for the tie, which despite everything never came. Girona had tried with several Couto crosses, with Dovbyk as their main objective, but the Ukrainian striker lacked aim.
He had it in the 87th minute with a volley from the far post, which went over the crossbar, and in stoppage time Stuani made a header in the small area that, however, gave Greif no work. Savinho did beat the Slovakian goalkeeper in that extra time, with a low shot with his right boot after a wall with Dovbyk stumbling.
However, Javier Aguirre's pupils withstood Girona's momentum in a tense outcome, full of nerves and which, after Munuera Montero's final whistle, meant the Girona team's first setback in a 2023/24 season that is being a dream. .
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: MALLORCA, 3 – GIRONA, 2 (3-0, at half-time).
–ALIGNMENTS:
MALLORCA: Greif; Giovanni, Valjent, Raíllo, Copete, J.Costa (Lato, min.65); Mascarell, A.Sánchez (Morlanes, min.80), Dani Rodríguez (Samú, min.65); Prats (Muriqi, min.71) and Larin (Nastasic, min.71).
GIRONA: Juan Carlos; Arnau (Dovbyk, min.46), Yaakobishvili, Blind, Miguel Gutiérrez (Valery, min.60); Aleix García, Herrera (Couto, min.46), Iván Martín (Torre, min.74); Tsygankov (Portu, min.60), Savinho and Stuani.
–GOALS:
1-0, min. 21: Larin.
2-0, min.28: Talk.
3-0, min.35: Talk (p).
3-1, min. 68: Stuani (p).
3-2, min.90+6: Savinho.
–REFEREE: Munuera Montero (C.Andaluz). Yellow carded Dani Rodríguez (min.37), J.Costa (min.39), Greif (min.72) and Samú (min.90+4) in Mallorca, and Blind (min.90+4) and Couto (min.90+4) in Girona; He sent off Raíllo for a double yellow (min.67 and 68) in Mallorca.
–STADIUM: Son Moix.