Girona lost further ground in the LaLiga title race as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Mallorca.
Girona were looking to close the gap on league leaders Real Madrid – who drew 2-2 with Valencia on Saturday – but missed their chance to do so when Jose Copete smashed the home side in front just after the half-hour mark.
Fewer chances fell in the second period but the visitors were kept at bay by a Mallorca side who threw bodies on the line for a result – chances for Portu and Savio went begging as the hosts held on to climb further away from the drop zone.
The first chance of the match fell to Girona when Miguel Gutierrez’s cross found the head of Ivan Martinez inside the area but his header went straight to home goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.
Mallorca’s first meaningful attack came when Giovanni Gonzalez picked the ball up outside the area and fired from range but his shot kept rising above the crossbar.
Mallorca were knocking on the door for an opener and got their reward on the half-hour mark after a corner fell to Copete inside the box and he slammed the ball into the roof of the net for his first goal of the season.
Girona were looking to respond instantly and had a chance three minutes later – Savio looked to equalise in spectacular style but saw his effort go high and wide from outside the box.
Mallorca went into the break with a narrow one-goal lead and almost had a second four minutes after the interval but Antonio Raillo’s header from a Dani Rodriguez corner floated over the crossbar.
Chances were few and far between in the second period and while Girona shared most of the possession, their opponents looked to catch a second on the counter attack, this time Abdon Prats’ drilled effort whistled just wide of the far post.
Girona were beginning to look a lot more threatening and had a couple of openings when Portu’s goal-bound effort deflected over the crossbar before Savio saw one blocked behind in similar fashion, a couple of minutes later.
The away side continued to probe in the final minutes as Yan Couto opened up a chance inside the box and fired towards goal but Rajkovic had to be alert to tip the ball over the woodwork to condemn Girona to a third defeat in four.
Inzaghi gets 'all answers needed' after Inter humiliate Frosinone
Clinical Inter returned to winning ways with a 5-0 thrashing of relegation-threatened Frosinone on Friday, and coach Simone Inzaghi admitted he had no questions left following his side's stellar performance.
Champions Inter stumbled to a 1-0 loss at relegation-battling Sassuolo last weekend but bounced back at Frosinone when five different players were on target to further hamper Frosinone's hopes of steering away from the relegation zone.
"I got the answers I wanted even though there was no need [for them]," Inzaghi told a press conference.
"A lot of guys who have played less answered and even contributed with a goal, I'm thinking about [Tajon] Buchanan and [Marko] Arnautovic.
"Important answers also came from [Kristjan] Asllani, who has grown a lot and has also played parts in important games."
Inter, who remained on track to beat the club record of 97 points set in the 2006-07 season, have also equalled the 15 away wins recorded in that season and maintained their 10th clean sheet, previously seen in 2007-08.
"I have a club that has been working for some time to ensure that the team improves because we always have to grow," Inzaghi said when asked if the team would be able to keep up the pace next season.
"Now we have two matches in which we will do our best, and then we will think about next season.
"The celebration? What our fans did to us will always remain within each of us. It's the shield of joy. I will always thank the fans."
Inzaghi is set to remain at Inter, with Italian media reporting he has already agreed to a new deal which puts him at the helm of the club beyond 2025.
He added: "You know what relationship I have with the club. We will all sit down and talk, but we are already in contact every day."
Al-Ittihad 0-5 Al-Ettifaq: Ekambi scores hat-trick in five-star display
Karl Toko Ekambi netted a hat-trick as Al-Ettifaq got back to winning ways in style with a 5-0 thrashing of Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
He scored twice in four minutes at the end of the first half to send the visitors into the break 4-0 up before getting his third just 10 minutes after the break.
Seko Fofana had already given Steven Gerrard’s side the lead five minutes into the contest, while Moussa Dembele doubled their advantage from the penalty spot.
Al-Ittihad had the chances, but they could not find the back of the net, as they stayed fifth, but are now just six points above Al-Ettifaq.
Data Debrief: Clinical finishers
Al-Ettifaq had five shots on target against Al-Ittihad, scoring with all of them while creating an xG of 3.62.
With his hat-trick against Al-Ittihad, Ekambi has now scored 11 goals for the season, netting more than once for the first time since joining the club.
Alaves 2-2 Girona: Wasteful Blanquivermells held to dramatic 2-2 draw
Girona let an away win slip as Jon Guridi's last-gasp effort snatched a 2-2 draw for Alaves on Friday to leave the visitors' hold on second place in the LaLiga in jeopardy.
The visitors grabbed an early lead through defender Eric Garcia's towering header off a corner only four minutes into the game before Guridi equalised in the 12th with a close-range finish.
Despite Alaves looking more dangerous, Girona restored their lead just before half-time thanks to Yangel Herrera's superb strike into the top-right corner.
Michel's side had chances to extend their advantage after the break, but Guridi scored his second deep into stoppage time after capitalising on a loose ball in the box to seal the draw.
Girona have 75 points, only two clear of Catalan rivals Barcelona, who host Real Sociedad on Monday. Real Madrid have secured the league title, sitting on 87 points with four games left.
Alaves remain 11th with 42 points.
Data Debrief:
Guridi, who scored the first LaLiga brace of his career (63 appearances) against Girona, scored Alaves' latest goal in the competition in the 21st century at 98:37.
Girona are unbeaten in their last four LaLiga matches but missed the chance to make it four wins on the bounce in the league for the first time since a run of five in November 2023.
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