AN own goal, just before half-time, was enough to see Girona collect all three points in a home victory over Villareal, as the Catalan club dragged themselves further away from the relegation zone.
Villarreal’s Pau Navarro turned one into his own net during 1st half injury time, as the visitors remain in 3rd place, one point above Atletico Madrid, who lost to Barcelona the previous evening.
The Yellow Submarine sit 13th points above 5th place Real Betis, meaning that despite the defeat in northern Catalonia, they still have Champions League qualification in their own control.
A much needed victory for Girona dragged them from 14th, just five points above the relegation zone, up to 12th place, leapfrogging past Valencia and Rayo Vallecano, to gain an eight point cushion for survival.
Story of the Match
Girona coach Míchel, recalled Arnau Martínez and Iván Martín, to replace Hugo Rincón and Joel Roca, after losing 1-0 away to Osasuna at El Sadar. Meanwhile, Marcelino named an unchanged Villarreal side from the team that beat Real Sociedad 3-1 at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
The first big chance of the game fell the way of the home side, when on the half-hour mark, a corner was flicked on towards the centre of the box, only for Vitor Reis to head the ball comfortably over the crossbar.
A breakthrough finally came just moments before half-time when Martínez played a cross into the near post, as Villareal defender Navarro poked the ball past Brazilian goalkeeper Luiz Júnior and into his own net, putting Girona ahead, following a very quiet 45 minutes of football.
The second half was much like the first, largely uneventful, as the game saw just two shots on target, with Girona successfully holding onto their lead to go eight points clear of the relegation zone.
