Girona relegated from LaLiga on last day as Elche stay up after draw

The equation was simple for this particular skirmish within the wider relegation dogfight: Girona needed to win, while Elche simply had to avoid defeat.

The home side duly dominated possession in the early stages, controlling nearly three-quarters of the ball during the opening 15 minutes. Understandably, though, neither team looked willing to make the first move, as the opening half hour passed without a single shot at either end.

That was until the 39th minute, when Elche broke the deadlock with a moment of pure brilliance.

Pedro Bigas headed into the box for Alvaro Rodriguez, and the striker showed incredible composure to take multiple touches, almost playing keepy-uppy in the box with Girona defenders applying the pressure, before turning and lashing into the roof of the net. 

Michel had one final half-time team talk to inspire his players to secure top-flight survival, and whatever the Spaniard said clearly worked, as Girona levelled the scoreline less than three minutes after the restart.

Azzedine Ounahi lashed a free-kick goalwards, which Matias Dituro could only parry into the path of Arnau Martínez, who fired home the rebound with a clinical first-time finish.

The home side struggled to use the momentum of the equaliser to their advantage; however, with the contest replicating the first half, turning into a stop-start, scrappy affair. With 10 minutes remaining, it was do or die for Girona and they pushed everything forward to gain the lead.

The pressure almost told then Thomas Lemar picked up the ball outside the box and unleashed a stunning strike, but it cannoned off the crossbar, much to the agony of the home crowd.

In the end, Elche’s defence put up a battling performance to hold on and claim the point, which secured their top-flight status for another season after their promotion last year.