Soccer-Girona deserved to win against Rayo Vallecano, coach Michel says


FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - LaLiga - Atletico Madrid v Girona - Civitas Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - August 25, 2024 Girona coach Michel reacts REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/File Photo

(Reuters) - Girona manager Michel said his side deserved to beat Rayo Vallecano but he was still pleased with their performance after Wednesday's LaLiga clash ended in a goalless draw.

Winless in four consecutive games in all competitions, last year's surprise challengers Girona dominated proceedings with over 70% of possession but were wasteful, missing several clear chances.

"Football is about goals and we didn't score. But the team was fine out there, we were able to push Rayo back against the ropes and played a very good game," Michel told reporters.

"The team deserved to win, I approve of the team's performance today. I have no doubts. We lacked quality and determination up front, but we generated enough to win today.

"They didn't put us under pressure, they didn't steal from us and we had three or four very clear chances to score. On Saturday's 2-0 loss against Valencia we weren't good, we didn't generate anything and I was worried.

"Today we did, perhaps not as much for what we could have had, but we did spend a lot of time in the attacking zone. With the flow of play we had, we should have shot 25 times, not only 12."

Girona are 12th in the LaLiga standings on eight points, 13 behind leaders Barcelona. They visit ninth-placed Celta Vigo on Sunday before hosting Feyenoord in the Champions League next week.

(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Toby Davis)

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