Girona FC have been relegated to Spain’s Second Division, a sharp change for the Catalan club after its Champions League debut two seasons ago. According to Diari de Girona, the fall comes after the team narrowly avoided relegation last year.
Only a little over a year ago, Arsenal beat Girona 2-1 at Montilivi. Before that, a mistake by goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga marked Girona’s first match in Europe’s top club competition. The club faced Feyenoord, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and AC Milan during that campaign.
For readers following Catalan football, the result is a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change. Girona’s recent run took the club from European nights to a fight for survival, and now to life in the second tier.
The club will now play in places including Andorra and Ceuta, rather than against the top La Liga sides it faced during its rise. European football will be out of reach unless Girona win promotion back to the top flight.
For more Catalonia-wide sports coverage, see our news tag. Official competition details are available from La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.
