Mikel Jauregizar’s stunning second-half strike denied Girona their first win of the LaLiga season, as Athletic Club came from behind to rescue a 1-1 draw at San Mames.
Girona were looking to spring a surprise and should have been ahead after only eight minutes, but Vladyslav Vanat missed the target when one-on-one with goalkeeper Unai Simon.
The visitors leveraged that momentum and broke the deadlock with their very next attack in spectacular fashion. Azzedine Ounahi scored his first goal for Girona since joining the club with a glorious, first-time curling strike that thundered in via the underside of the crossbar.
Athletic had won just one of their previous eight Tuesday-held league matches, and there was no sign of an end to that run in the first half here, as they desperately struggled to create clear-cut chances.
The hosts’ only meaningful effort on goal fell to Oihan Sancet – who netted a hat-trick in last season’s corresponding fixture – but he missed the target as he blazed his half-volley from inside the area high into the stands, with Los Leones failing to call visiting goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga into meaningful action before half-time.
A disappointing first-half showing prompted Ernesto Valverde to make four substitutions ahead of the restart, and that move paid immediate dividends. One of the new players, Jauregizar, unleashed a long-range rocket that flew straight into the top corner just three minutes into the second period to restore parity.
Girona stemmed the tide after conceding, but pressure began to grow, and Gazzaniga was forced into a stunning save to keep out Aitor Paredes’ header.
The increasingly busy Argentine then raced from his line to prevent Alex Berenguer’s effort from going any further as Girona clung on.
Despite the best efforts of the home supporters, Athletic were unable to snatch a winner to leave them without a victory in three matches.
It’s a positive result for Girona even though they remain at the foot of the table without a win this term, but two stalemates from their last three outings inspires hope of improvement.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Azzedine Ounahi (Girona)
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