01/16/26 04:39:00
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01/16 16:37 CST Two penalties give Girona bragging rights over Espanyol in
fierce Catalan derby
Two penalties give Girona bragging rights over Espanyol in fierce Catalan derby
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) --- Vladyslav Vanat scored penalties in stoppage time of
each half as Girona beat Espanyol 2-0 in a fiercely contested Catalan derby in
La Liga on Friday.
It was the first time Girona has won three on the trot since November 2024.
The result lifted it into ninth place in the table. Espanyol remained fifth.
Girona had the better of the first half and went ahead on the stroke of
halftime when Omar El Hilali was adjudged to have pulled Hugo Rincn in the box.
Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic saved Vanat's initial effort but the
referee said he moved from his line before the kick and ordered a retake. Vanat
made no mistake a second time, firing a perfect effort to the keeper's right.
Both sides had chances in a busy second half but Girona took advantage of
spaces in the Espanyol defense as the home side pushed for an equalizer.
With seconds remaining, Yser Asprilla was felled by Rubn Snchez and
Ukrainian striker Vanat scored his second of the night to seal all three points.
"The decision to give the first penalty was very harsh," veteran Espanyol
defender Leandro Cabrera said. "There are a thousand similar situations that
never get called back. We lost our patience. In the final minutes there was
another penalty decision that killed the game. It's a pity because the match
was pretty tight. A draw would have been a fair result."
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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