An unfortunate own-goal by Pau Navarro handed Girona a narrow 1-0 win over Villarreal, who sit third in LaLiga. This victory marks Girona’s continued dominance at home, securing four wins in their last six outings at Estadi Montilivi (D1, L1).
Following a break of over two weeks due to international fixtures, both teams appeared somewhat rusty in a fairly uneventful first half, during which neither keeper was forced into a save.
Villarreal’s Georges Mikautadze looked the most likely to score early on, blasting a deflected shot just wide in the fourth minute and later being thwarted by Vitor Reis’ impressive recovery challenge that denied him a certain goal midway through the half.
Girona faced an early setback when they lost their top scorer, Vladyslav Vanat, to injury just 12 minutes into the match. However, his substitute, Abel Ruiz, capitalised on a poorly weighted backpass from Renato Veiga in the 28th minute, rounding goalkeeper Luiz Junior only for Veiga to slide in at the last moment, preventing Ruiz’s pass from reaching Ivan Martin for a simple finish.
In the dying moments of the first half, Girona was fortunate as Navarro inadvertently deflected Arnau Martinez’s cross into his own net, granting the hosts the lead.
This result reflects Girona’s impressive form in the first half of 2026, as they remain unbeaten at half-time (HT: W7, D6).
Reis once again showcased his defensive prowess three minutes after the interval, blocking a volley from Gerard Moreno at close range, while at the other end, Viktor Tsygankov was thwarted by a well-timed tackle.
Girona continued to press for a second, with Junior deflecting Axel Witsel’s shot from inside the box away. Villarreal’s coach Marcelino reacted promptly, substituting on Alex Freeman, Alfonso González, and Tajon Buchanan for Santiago Mourino, Alberto Moleiro, and Nicolas Pepe.
However, Villarreal failed to mount a strong response, and despite sitting 13 points ahead of fifth-placed Real Betis in the quest for a UEFA Champions League slot, their recent record of four defeats in the last seven away games (W1, D2) raises concerns.
With this victory, Girona advanced to 12th place, finally overcoming Villarreal at home after five previous attempts – an encouraging lead-up to their Friday encounter against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
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