It is without a doubt that Girona FC are the most overachieving team in Europe’s Top Five leagues in 2023/2024. The Catalonia-based club gained promotion to the Spanish La Liga last season with their triumph in the 2022 Segunda División play-offs, and finished 2022/2023 in 10th place. In this season’s endeavours, Girona FC started a fairytale run in the league that does not seem to know an end to it, having beaten Deportivo Alavés at home yesterday on their way to regain the top spot of the Spanish top-flight football following the end of Matchday 17 in the 2023/2024 Season.
Girona FC Edged Past Alavés with Ease
Following their 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid on the final day of September 2023, Girona FC have been invincible in their next 10 games in all competitions, winning nine and drawing one as a result. The Spanish outfit managed by 48-year-old Míchel slipped into the second place of the La Liga table due to Los Blancos’s 4-1 win over Villarreal CF a day earlier, but they managed to regain the top spot with a win of their own Matchday 17 fixture at Montilivi.
Girona FC named an almost unchanged starting lineup from the first 11 that famously stunned Spanish giants Barcelona last time around, with Portu being the only replacement to Viktor Tsyhankov, and the 31-year-old veteran winger repaid his coach’s fate by scoring one of Girona FC’s goals against Alavés. Artem Dovbyk drew the first blood for the home team as early as the 23rd minute, when a chaotic moment in the penalty box led to Yan Couto’s shot being repelled by the opposing goalkeeper Antonio Sivera. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old shot stopper’s block fell on top of Dovbyk, who headed in the first goal of the game off the rebound.
Girona FC would leave the first half with a 2-0 advantage, courtesy of Portu’s second goal in 17 appearances in all competitions this year. The 31-year-old had to thank Couto for his assist, since the Brazilian right-back showed his mesmerising footwork followed by an accurate find to reach Portu with a pass, who then carefully placed the shot into the bottom left corner to double Girona FC’s lead before the break. An third goal was given by Dovbyk via a penalty. Couto once again involved in Girona FC’s attack, and he was brought down in the box, prompting Dovbyk to show his cool by slotting home the penalty into the middle spot to secure all three points of Girona FC.
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Leapfrogged Real Madrid to the Top of Spanish La Liga
The win over Alavés at home gave Griona FC their 14th victory in 17 matches in the 2023/2024 Spanish La Liga thus far, and with a total of 44 points out of a maximum 51 collected, the team have jumped past 35-time champions Real Madrid, who currently have 42 points, at the summit of the Spanish top-flight football table. The rest of the Top Four in the La Liga are Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, who gained 35 and 34 points respectively with the latter still have another game in hand.
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Can Girona FC Win It All?
Girona FC’s performance in the Spanish league is echoed by several underdogs in other Europe’s Top Five leagues, namely Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga 1 as well as Aston Villa in the English Premier League. These three teams are shouldering on a mission to break the status quo long set in their respective top-flight football systems, and in the case of Girona FC, many have already started to call them the biggest Catalonian team as compared to the traditional powerhouses and last season’s Spanish champions Barcelona, who currently trail 10 points behind the current leaders Girona FC.
Girona FC will have another game in the remainder of the calendar year of 2023, which is a visit to Estadio Benito Villamarín to face Real Betis Balompié. Should the fairytale run continue for Girona FC to secure maximum points again in this match, they will end the year as the top of the pack in the Spanish top-flight football.
Ancelotti: “Are Girona the new Leicester? They are doing very well, better than the others. They are a rival that can fight for La Liga.”
— Madrid Universal (@MadridUniversal) November 11, 2023
What do you think of Girona FC’s performance in the Spanish La Liga thus far? Do you think they can replicate Leicester City’s incredible 2015/2016 Premier League Season run in the Spanish top-flight football this season? Leave us a comment down in the section below as we would love to hear your thoughts about the said discussions.
