Ageless goal king Cristhian Stuani cements his status as Prince of Girona | Sid Lowe

The most important player in Girona’s history moved more mountains to fire up their irresistible charge in the title race

Cristhian Stuani said it wasn’t him, an old school No 9 doing what no No 9 ever does, but no one cared, not even the referee. He could have the goal, he had earned it: a hundred times over, every minute of every day, the best days of their lives. All they wanted was the chance to share it with him, to hold him: their captain, their idol, the 37-year-old who had only been on the pitch 13 minutes, handed a rescue mission with his team on the verge of being beaten for only the second time in the most extraordinary season they had ever seen, and who had only gone and scored twice: first in the 82nd minute and now with just two minutes left to take them top. Them: Girona Futbol Club, leaders of La Liga, for goodness sake.

So there they were, everyone in Montilivi going mad, Stuani racing to the corner and everyone else running after him, including their manager, Michel, running down the wing again like it was 2012. What did it matter if the Uruguayan didn’t actually score the second? What did it matter if, far from claiming it the way he’s supposed to, greedily grabbing at everything he can get, he publicly insisted he hadn’t touched it, the ball instead accidentally put away by the other Cristhian, Valencia defender Mosquera? It was his goal really – he was the one in a familiar position, right there right when they needed him – and his goal officially too.

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