Girona’s Heartbreaking Defeat Against Feyenoord in Champions League

Girona experienced a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat against Feyenoord on Wednesday during their first-ever home match in the UEFA Champions League. The dramatic clash, held at Girona’s Montilivi Stadium, featured two own goals that contributed to the victory of the Dutch team in this closely contested encounter.

Both teams faced missed opportunities, including penalty kicks that could have swayed the match in either direction. Girona, a surprise package in Spain’s La Liga last season, has found themselves struggling in the new campaign after losing key players over the summer.

During their Champions League debut against Paris Saint-Germain, Girona suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat, decided by an own goal from their goalkeeper, Paulo Gazzaniga, in the dying moments of the match in Paris.

In their recent fixture against Feyenoord, Girona’s painful saga continued with own goals from Yangel Herrera and Ladislav Krejci. These mishaps have resulted in Girona equalling the unfortunate record held by Fenerbahce for own goals in a single Champions League campaign, just two games into the group stage.

Commenting on the match, Girona’s David Lopez, who opened the scoring, stated, “It was a great game for the spectators in which we did everything possible to win, we created chances, we have to continue — it’s a pity to lose.” He noted the setbacks during the match and emphasized the need to secure three points in the subsequent fixtures.

Lopez’s contribution came when he skillfully converted a rebound into a goal after 19 minutes, giving Girona a temporary lead. However, just moments later, a set-piece led to an own goal by Herrera, leveling the score in favor of Feyenoord.

Feyenoord’s Antoni Milambo emerged as a significant figure, seizing control in the 33rd minute with a well-executed finish following a pass from Igor Paixao.

Attempts by both squads to widen the gap were stunted by missed penalties. Ayase Ueda’s shot was saved by Gazzaniga, and later, Timon Wellenreuther blocked a penalty shot from Bojan Miovski.

Girona momentarily drew level with a goal from Donny van de Beek in the second half, only for Krejci’s unfortunate deflection to hand the lead back to Feyenoord shortly thereafter.

Girona’s upcoming Champions League fixture will see them face Slovan Bratislava, while Feyenoord will visit Benfica, both teams eager to consolidate their positions in the competition.