6th time lucky – Girona finally clinch promotion via the play-offs

You could even sense the differing emotions from the expressions on the faces of the two sets of supporters prior to the game. The Tenerife followers were boisterous and bouncing. Many had come hours earlier to wait outside for the team to arrive and there was a confidence to them, in no small part thanks to a wonderful Canary Island derby win over Las Palmas in the previous round.

By contrast, the few hundred Girona fans who had made the long trip looked pensive. Even the most optimistic would have struggled to totally banish the painful memories of recent play-off nightmares.

The same could be said of the visiting players, many of whom remain from previous campaigns. They started, as was the case for much of the 1st Leg, on the front foot and dominating possession, with Tenerife boss Luis Miguel Ramis seemingly content for his side to sit deep and try to find some joy on the counter. It was understandable to some extent, given their failure to net an away goal the previous weekend, but it perhaps prevented his side from really using the early energy that was sweeping around the stadium to their advantage.

That perhaps helped to calm a few nerves in the visiting camp but Girona’s attempts to settle into their stride weren’t aided by some robust challenges early on from their opponents. One such tackle brought an early end to midfielder Iván Martín’s evening after just 18 minutes, to the obvious dismay of the Girona bench as Michel opted to introduce the talented, but often frustrating, Samu Sáiz as his replacement.

It wasn’t really until the half-hour mark that Tenerife started to come out of their shell and ask some questions, but just when it looked as though the hosts might be starting to get on top, Girona were gifted a golden opportunity to break the deadlock.

Juanpe’s effort was diverted away from goal by the hand of Tenerife centre-back Sergio González. With his arm outstretched, it was not a difficult decision for the referee to award a penalty and it was over to free-scoring Cristhian Stuani to send the goalkeeper the wrong way and fire in a priceless away goal for Girona.

The Uruguayan striker, who netted 40 goals across the club’s two top flight seasons, has stunned many with his continued commitment to Girona. This was his 24th of the current campaign, taking his overall goal tally for Los Blanquivermells past 100. To all intents and purposes, Stuani has been a top flight player plying his trade in the second tier for three years.

Like his club, he has had his fair share of unhappy play-off experiences, most notably the red card which contributed to Girona’s demise against unfancied Elche two years ago. For Stuani, this success would taste sweeter than most and provide some well deserved reward for his admirable loyalty to the Catalan club.

It wouldn’t come without a few difficult moments in the Second Half when it looked like yet another Final might be starting to swing away from Girona. Tenerife levelled the score on the 59th minute as the home team’s Half-Time introduction Carlos Ruiz crept around the back to powerfully head home a teasing cross from Álex Corredera.