Girona title bid further dented in Athletic loss
Girona's unlikely La Liga title bid suffered another dent in a 3-2 defeat by Athletic Bilbao on Monday, with Alex Berenguer striking twice for the Basque side.
After leaders Real Madrid were held to a draw by Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, the Catalan minnows, second, hoped to cut the six-point gap but lost in a gripping clash at San Mames.
Michel Sanchez's side are now only two points ahead of champions Barcelona and seven in front of fifth-place Athletic, chasing a top four spot. Girona have failed to win any of their last three league matches.
After Berenguer sent Athletic ahead, Viktor Tsygankov levelled for Girona. However, Berenguer and Inaki Williams quickly netted for the hosts and although Eric Garcia pulled one back, Girona could not find the equaliser.
"We lacked a bit of determination in the final third ... I think the second half was good," said Girona coach Michel, who watched from a box as he was banned from the touchline. "We have to continue, we can't ask the team to always win and we have to keep fighting to stay up there."