GIRONA, Spain (Reuters) – Girona fullback Miguel Gutierrez scored in the first half and defender Juanpe added a second from a free kick in the 73rd minute as they beat visitors Slovan Bratislava 2-0 on Tuesday to record their first victory in the Champions League.
Gutierrez and Dutch winger Arnaut Danjuma combined brilliantly throughout on the left wing, and it was Danjuma’s run to the byline and pull-back that set up Gutierrez to break the deadlock for the Spaniards with a first-time finish three minutes before halftime.
Playing in their first European season, Girona continued to out-class their Slovakian visitors after the break, and they went 2-0 up when a direct free kick from Juanpe glanced off one of the players in the wall before flying into the net.
Cristhian Stuani had a late penalty saved for the home side but Girona took all three points to leave them in 19th place in the 36-team table, while Slovan Bratislava remain bottom after three straight defeats and with a goal difference of -10.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Editing by Toby Davis)
