MADRID, 3 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Girona beat UD Las Palmas at home by a tight 1-0 thanks to a goal in the final stretch by striker Cristian Portugués ‘Portu’, who had a dream debut in his second spell as a player for a Catalan team that, undefeated , is placed second, while Mallorca and Athletic Club did not go beyond a goalless draw in Son Moix, both matches of the fourth day of LaLiga EA Sports 2023-2024.
Montilivi was witness this Sunday that the second parts do not have to be bad, this time with Portu as the protagonist. The striker was the bomb on the last day of the Girona market, the club he was returning to after four seasons at Real Sociedad and Getafe.
Michel Sánchez did not put him out of the game and it took him 75 minutes to give him the opportunity, but fate was already written, and when the discount approached, the attacker finished off a good play between Valery and Couto, who had also entered the table with a header. second half. The goal left Las Palmas very touched, which once again sees how its good proposal on the pitch is penalized for the lack of a goal.
There were no goals in the first half, although there were two disallowed goals for Stuani, due to offside and, later, due to a rigorous foul on a corner from Álex Suárez. Beforehand, the Canarian team warned through Pejiño, who did not know how to convert a one-on-one with Gazzaniga, a Girona goal that would be key when saving the visitor’s goal from Araujo’s header with a great hand.
The changes in the second half improved the locals, who suffered to celebrate that goal from Portu ‘in extremis’. A victory by the minimum that places Girona second with 10 points, undefeated with three wins and a draw. However, the 1-0 sinks Las Palmas, which still hasn’t won and is already third from last with only 2 points out of 12 possible.
ATHLETIC KEEPS THE RHYTHM AND MALLORCA DOES NOT TAKE OFF
The Estadi Mallorca Son Moix witnessed his team’s second draw this Sunday, against Athletic, so far this season, prolonging the crisis of this beginning, still without savoring the victory. The match began at a good pace, with the most withdrawn locals waiting for their chance on the counter and trusting their options to a feisty Muriqi.
The Basques always had the ball, to defend that first rush of the vermilion team. With a lot of wind on the Balearic island, it was difficult for the teams to braid effective combinations, although it was Ernesto Valverde’s men who enjoyed more and better chances. One of the clearest was from Sancet, with a cross shot inside the area that licked the goalpost defended by a Rajkovic who once again had a leading role.
After the break, Javier Aguirre’s men went ahead with a goal from ‘pirate’ Muriqi, although he was offside and did not go up on the scoreboard. The Kosovar also had a clear one with a firm header that Nico Williams took under the sticks. The ‘lions’ were better in the last half hour of the game, pressing in attack and barely suffering in defence. They had it in the five-minute discount, but it was then that both teams preferred to add and not lose 3 points.
The rojiblancos, who had just come off two victories in a row, are fifth with this draw, while the Balearic team has yet to win and is already fourth from the bottom with only 2 points.