BARCELONA, Spain: Girona fought back for a 2-1 victory at Rayo Vallecano to ensure they kept their surprising lead of the Spanish league on Saturday.
Rayo went ahead from Álvaro García’s goal in the sixth minute. But Ukraine striker Artem Dovbyk equalized three minutes before halftime when he was set up by countryman Viktor Tsyhankov for his team-high seventh goal of the season.
Brazilian winger Sávio put the visitors ahead in the 65th when he finished off a Dovbyk shot that was blocked by goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
Girona opened up a five-point gap over Real Madrid, which host Valencia later Saturday.
Girona, which two seasons ago were in the second division, are partly controlled by Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi ownership even though they have one of the lowest payrolls in the league of just 51 million euros ($54 million).
The numbers are impressive for the Catalonia team that are in only their fourth season in the top flight in club history. They have 11 wins in 13 rounds, including six wins in seven road games, and have five come-from-behind victories. Their only loss came at home to Madrid in September.
“This team showed again that they do not give up, and we seem to play better when we are behind,” said midfielder Aleix García, who was called up by Spain this week.
García said that his team can now aspire to bigger things than merely avoiding a relegation battle, which was their main aim in previous seasons.
“We have bigger goals now. We can dream,” García said. “We deserve to be where we are. We have a very tight group. We are like a family. We have this connection on the field that I am not sure where it comes from, but it is there.”
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Girona win again to keep Spanish league lead after 2-1 comeback at Rayo
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Girona win again to keep Spanish league lead after 2-1 comeback at Rayo
- Ukraine striker Artem Dovbyk equalized three minutes before halftime
- Girona opened up a five-point gap over Real Madrid
Liverpool boss Slot to meet Salah amid tension
- The Dutchman moved to calm speculation over Salah’s future after the Egyptian’s fiery criticism of the club
- Salah, nicknamed ‘The Egyptian King,’ has endured a turbulent campaign following an extraordinary 2024-25 season
Arne Slot said he has no reason to want Mohamed Salah to leave Liverpool as he prepared for a face-to-face meeting with the forward on Friday to decide his involvement in Saturday’s Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Dutchman moved to calm speculation over Salah’s future after the Egyptian’s fiery criticism of the club following last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Leeds United, sparking questions about his future at the Merseyside club, who are languishing in 10th place with 23 points from 15 matches, a stark contrast to last year’s title-winning campaign.
Salah was left out of the team that traveled to Italy for their 1-0 Champions League victory over Inter Milan on Tuesday.
“I will have a conversation with Mo this morning, the outcome of that conversation determines how things will look tomorrow,” Slot told reporters on Friday.
When asked if he wanted Salah to stay at the club, Slot said: “I have no reasons to not want him to stay.”
Pressed on Salah’s status, Slot refused to offer any guarantees.
“I think the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. You can keep on trying but there is not much more to say about it,” he said. “After the Sunderland game there were a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, between him and me.”
Isak doubt
The decision to leave Salah at home for the trip to Milan was a club decision, Slot said.
“I am always in contact with them (sporting director Richard Hughes and chief executive of football Michael Edwards) but when it comes to the decision making of the line-up or the squad, they leave that open to me. That’s not to say I don’t talk to them. Mainly Richard, not Michael. The decision to play a player or have them in the squad is entirely up to me.”
There is a question mark over Alexander Isak’s status for Saturday with Slot saying the forward picked up a knock in the first half against Inter Milan, and that he will be evaluated on Friday before they decide whether or not he can start.
Slot is pleased with how Isak and Hugo Ekitike have played together, saying their partnership will continue to improve.
“The more they play together, the more they will adapt to each other and the better they will cooperate,” Slot said. “I saw promising things from the both of them, it’s only the second time they’ve played together. We will see more of them playing together in the future.”
Slot will have Federico Chiesa available on Saturday after he recovered from illness, while Wataru Endo and Cody Gakpo are expected to be out for a “few weeks.”
Salah, nicknamed “The Egyptian King,” has endured a turbulent campaign following an extraordinary 2024-25 season. He is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday, leaving Liverpool to attempt to extend their four-game unbeaten run across all competitions while silencing the off-field turmoil.
Whether he returns to Anfield afterwards remains uncertain, with Salah hinting that his Liverpool chapter may be drawing to a close.
The Dutchman moved to calm speculation over Salah’s future after the Egyptian’s fiery criticism of the club following last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Leeds United, sparking questions about his future at the Merseyside club, who are languishing in 10th place with 23 points from 15 matches, a stark contrast to last year’s title-winning campaign.
Salah was left out of the team that traveled to Italy for their 1-0 Champions League victory over Inter Milan on Tuesday.
“I will have a conversation with Mo this morning, the outcome of that conversation determines how things will look tomorrow,” Slot told reporters on Friday.
When asked if he wanted Salah to stay at the club, Slot said: “I have no reasons to not want him to stay.”
Pressed on Salah’s status, Slot refused to offer any guarantees.
“I think the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. You can keep on trying but there is not much more to say about it,” he said. “After the Sunderland game there were a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, between him and me.”
Isak doubt
The decision to leave Salah at home for the trip to Milan was a club decision, Slot said.
“I am always in contact with them (sporting director Richard Hughes and chief executive of football Michael Edwards) but when it comes to the decision making of the line-up or the squad, they leave that open to me. That’s not to say I don’t talk to them. Mainly Richard, not Michael. The decision to play a player or have them in the squad is entirely up to me.”
There is a question mark over Alexander Isak’s status for Saturday with Slot saying the forward picked up a knock in the first half against Inter Milan, and that he will be evaluated on Friday before they decide whether or not he can start.
Slot is pleased with how Isak and Hugo Ekitike have played together, saying their partnership will continue to improve.
“The more they play together, the more they will adapt to each other and the better they will cooperate,” Slot said. “I saw promising things from the both of them, it’s only the second time they’ve played together. We will see more of them playing together in the future.”
Slot will have Federico Chiesa available on Saturday after he recovered from illness, while Wataru Endo and Cody Gakpo are expected to be out for a “few weeks.”
Salah, nicknamed “The Egyptian King,” has endured a turbulent campaign following an extraordinary 2024-25 season. He is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday, leaving Liverpool to attempt to extend their four-game unbeaten run across all competitions while silencing the off-field turmoil.
Whether he returns to Anfield afterwards remains uncertain, with Salah hinting that his Liverpool chapter may be drawing to a close.
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