(Reuters) -Girona’s Yangel Herrera headed home in the first half to give last year’s surprise package a 1-0 victory at Getafe in LaLiga on Sunday and earn them successive league wins for the first time in more than two months.
Venezuela midfielder Herrera scored with a towering header from close range assisted by Bryan Gil’s fine cross from the left wing in the 42nd minute as Girona survived huge pressure from Getafe who missed several chances throughout the match.
The result lifted struggling Girona to 18 points from 13 matches and into ninth place, with Getafe fourth from bottom in 17th with 10 points.
Girona, depleted by 12 injuries in their first-team squad and coming off the back of a 4-0 defeat by PSV, their third loss in four Champions League matches, made the most of the only real chance they got and gave Getafe their first home defeat of the season.
The home side thought they had a penalty when Oriol Romeu tackled Yellu Santiago from behind but the referee’s call was overturned by the VAR who spotted that the foul was marginally outside the penalty box.
Girona had their goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga to thank for an outstanding reflex save to deny a Bertug Yildirim effort from close range in the 71st minute.
“It’s a victory that feels very good,” Gil told Movistar Plus.
“We are missing a lot of players but the team came here today and competed. The opponents pressed hard and it’s difficult to play with your back against the wall. Gazzaniga always comes up in difficult moments, he’s an incredible goalkeeper.”
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; editing by Clare Fallon)
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