Girona scored a crucial victory over Real Betis on Sunday, grabbing a stoppage time winner through veteran forward Cristhian Stuani. Los Verdiblancos had come back twice, but Stuani’s goal gave Girona a nine-point advantage over Athletic in the Champions League race, and a 23-point gap to Real Betis in 7th place.
The upshot is that Girona are just a point away from qualifying for European football for the first time, although they could also do so before they play next should Athletic beat Real Mallorca in the Copa del Rey final.
It led Michel Sanchez to make a bold statement after the match.
“He is the most important player in the history of Girona. He continues to demonstrate it with his level of commitment to the club and the dressing room. He deserves what is happening to him and it brings us closer to Europe. The first game we play in Europe, he will wear the bracelet on the arm.”
As highlighted by Marca, Stuani has been crucial to Girona, and in the 37-year-old target man, they have the most effective substitute in Europe’s top five leagues. With 8 goals this season, he is averaging a goal every 91 minutes. From the bench, he has five of those goals and two assists in his 425 minutes, and is averaging a goal every four shots. Of the 32 he has taken, 16 have been on target and 8 have gone in.
Stuani is the top scorer in Girona’s history, with 129 goals in the 245 appearances he has made since joining in 2017 from Middlesborough. The Uruguayan forward has scored all of those goals in his thirties too, and is on the verge of living a European dream for the first time in his career.
