Almería are one of the worst teams playing away from home in La Liga, having only picked up three points from three draws when taking the role of the visitors this season.
Conversely, Girona are the league’s third-best team when matches occur at Montilivi, their home stadium. Girona played Almería in a 6-2 thriller on Friday.
Girona manager Míchel delivered a tactical masterclass to overwhelm his opponents right from the start.
Valentín Castellanos put his side in the lead with an early goal, in the eighth minute. From there, the scoring flowed freely as Rodrigo Riquelme and Viktor Tsyhankov slotted two past the keeper in quick succession, followed by Javi Hernández right before half-time to make it 4-0 just before the players went into the changing room.
Rubi tried to rescue his team by making some tactical changes and four substitutions, and sure enough, Largie Ramazani scored after coming off the bench. However, the potential comeback was short-lived, as Iván Martín’s goal kept the visitor’s hopes in check. Two minutes after, a delicious back-heel assist set up Cristhian Stuani for Girona’s sixth and final goal.
El Bilal tried to fix up the scoreline with a late goal to finalise the 6-2, but it wasn’t enough to hide a dismal performance from Almería, who are precariously close to the relegation zone – two points off Valencia.
Girona on the other hand continue their excellent home record.
Nicolás Antúnez de Mayolo | GSFN
