(Football news) When he dissected Real Madrid’s defence on Tuesday night to lead his team to a decisive 4-2 victory in LaLiga Santander Matchday 31, Girona FC striker Valentn “Taty” Castellanos stole the show.
Although Los Blancos made a strong opening onslaught on Girona FC’s defence, Castellanos scored following a superb team play from Los Blanquivermells just 12 minutes into the game. The 24-year-old striker needed just a few minutes to finish the first half with two goals as Girona FC went on the attack. Castellanos took advantage of an Arnau Martnez long ball to outmuscle Éder Milito and score past Andriy Lunin with a cool, clinical finish.
In his first season in LaLiga Santander, Castellanos scored more than one goal in a game for the first time, but there would be more. Vincius Jnior scored a goal to tie the score before halftime to bring Real Madrid back into the contest, but Castellanos scored his hat-trick with his first touch of the second half. Just a few minutes after the game’s hour mark, Castellanos scored his fourth goal of the match with the Real Madrid defence helpless to stop him.
Taty Castellanos fulfils an ambition and makes LaLiga Santander history.
It’s uncommon to defeat Real Madrid by four goals. In fact, the Argentine forward’s four goals versus Los Blancos made him just the sixth player in LaLiga Santander history to accomplish this feat. In addition, Esteban Echevarra, a former Real Oviedo forward, scored four goals in a league match against the capital city team more than seven decades ago, making him the first football player to do so.
“It has been a dream night,”After the match on Tuesday at the Estadi Montilivi, Castellanos proudly acknowledged as much in his post-game interview. “I never imagined this. Thanks to all those supporting me, my family and my friends. We played a great game against a great opponent. It was a dream to score against Real Madrid, but scoring four goals was unimaginable. I am very happy for everything, for me and for the team. We are talking about the best team in the world but we competed very well.”
Girona FC under Mechel is a pleasure to watch.
On Tuesday, Girona FC put on an energetic performance that included four goals from Castellanos. Los Blanquivermells’ performance against the defending LaLiga Santander champions was not an isolated incident; throughout 2022–2023, they have consistently garnered accolades for the spectacles they have provided. The Catalan team, which advanced through the LaLiga SmartBank playoffs last year, really has a top-four attacking unit in the competition, having scored an incredible 48 goals in just 31 games.
Michel has done a fantastic job with this team, positioning a number of talented players, such as Viktor Tsygankov, Rodrigo Riquelme, or Aleix Garca, directly behind Castellanos. The 24-year-old Argentine striker has recently proven why he was named MLS’ top scorer while playing for New York City FC. He already has 11 LaLiga Santander strikes in 2022–2023.
Girona FC, who consider the Estadi Montilivi to be their stronghold, have accrued more home points than 16 LaLiga Santander teams this season, averaging over two points per game at home. The game on Tuesday against Real Madrid served as another affirmation and proof that the recently promoted Girona FC are here to stay and that they have one of the most potent attackers in Spanish football in Castellanos.
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