Girona 1-2 Arsenal Player Ratings: The Gunners seal their playoff spot with a tight win at the Estadi Montilivi
In what was a matchup between two sides with very different objectives for the game, Arsenal took on Girona who were resigned to exiting the competition before a ball was kicked. However, for Arsenal, it was important to secure the playoff spot, with teams lurking to break into the same.
For the most part, Arsenal was expected to dominate proceedings and did just that until Girona concocted a counter-attack that took the visitors by surprise. With some questionable defensive choices to go with it, Girona found the opener with Danjuma’s efforts. However, it was only a matter of time before Arsenal converted their penalty with Jorginho to find the equalizer.
Minutes later, 17-year-old sensation Ethan Nwaneri stepped up on his UCL debut and delivered a peach of a goal before halftime which ended up being the winning goal for the London side.
The second half saw action too with Cristhian Stuani’s offside goal and a penalty miss by Raheem Sterling on the other end of the pitch. By and large, both teams will have a lot to reflect on with the conclusion of the first stage of the Champions League. Here are Girona vs Arsenal player ratings.
Girona Player Ratings vs Arsenal
Goalkeeper
Pau López: 7.5/10- Kept his side in the game with some vital saves and was very confident with some of his claims during set pieces. Nearly saved the first penalty, having dived the right way but was off the mark by a few inches, did better and saved the second one.
Defenders
Arnau Martínez: 6/10- Struggled massively against Sterling and was handily dealt with on several occasions. Held on to the ball in dangerous areas for too long at times and made a needless swipe in the box which led to the Arsenal penalty.
Antal Yaakobishvili: 6/10- Ball watching at times during moments of intense pressure. Easily dealt with by an opposing attacker on a couple of occasions, with his distribution and work on the ball being his only saving grace.
Juanpe: 7/10- Threaded a superb ball through midfield to find Danjuma for the opener. Was stretched at times during moments of pressure from Arsenal but tried to do the best he could regardless.
Alejandro Francés: 6/10- Had a few nervy moments during the game while defending and with the ball at his feet, nearly turning it in for an own goal in one instance. Grew into the game thereafter.
Midfielders
Oriol Romeu: 6.5/10- Slightly sluggish but a big presence regardless and a threat for the home team from set pieces. Found some success defensively and gave a lot of cover to the defense, likely withdrawn earlier than expected with the weekend game in mind.
Iván Martín: 6.5/10- Had the first shot of the game for the home side, and showed good confidence in trying to play on the front foot. Was a constant in the backline during tense moments for his side as well.
Yáser Asprilla: 6.5/10- Struggled to get on the ball in good positions too often. Had a few good passes and an opportunity to go on a mazy run but was easily shrugged off the ball. Another player withdrew earlier than expected.
Attackers
Arnaut Danjuma: 7.5/10- Took up great positions several times getting behind Arsenal’s defensive line with relative ease. Broke through quite well for his goal and took his shot with perfect accuracy and power.
Viktor Tsygankov: 6/10- Had a few good crosses but was mostly kept in check by the opposition defenders. Did not take enough risks and hardly looked interested in having a go at the goal himself.
Abel Ruíz: 6/10- Couldn’t have any impact offensively and was instead limited to trying and help create play for his teammates and got stuck in defensively instead. Did make a couple of clearances to help out his team though.
Substitutes
Yangel Herrera: N/A
Jhon Solís: N/A
Cristhian Stuani: N/A
Donny van de Beek: N/A
Portu: N/A
Manager
Michel: 6/10- Had a few puzzling decisions about personnel. Made the smart choice to rotate players out when the game was deemed too far to be rescued. Needed to instill a sense of urgency in his players at the start of the second half though.
Arsenal Player Ratings vs Girona
Goalkeeper
Neto: 5.5/10- Nearly had a howler at the start of the game, which saw him give away the ball under no pressure whatsoever. Was way off his line, in no man’s land for the Girona opener as well.
Defenders
Riccardo Calafiori: 7/10- Made quite a few galloping runs into attack and nearly netted a fantastic goal as well. Was quite solid defensively as well and had quite a few retrievals during the game.
Gabriel Magalhães: 7/10- Solid as per and was a constant thorn and threat to deal with during the umpteen corners that Arsenal managed to win. Calm and collected even during frantic moments in defense as well.
Jakub Kiwior: 6.5/10- Out in no man’s land for the opening goal and made a few confusing decisions at times but was present a lot of times to clean things up as well.
Thomas Partey: 7/10- Got caught out a couple of times in defense but was key to supplementing the attack and did quite well in and around the opposition box. Drove with the ball through midfield on occasion and into the box which earned his side a penalty.
Midfielders
Jorginho: 7/10- Kept things running from deep midfield and looked to progress the ball more often than not. Had a few sticky moments but managed to keep things purring without much trouble.
Mikel Merino: 6.5/10- Another middling performance for the Spaniard who is still very much trying to find his place and role in the team. Had a few ball recoveries high up the pitch but was also susceptible to losing it in his half as well.
Martin Ødegaard: 6.5/10- In and out of the game, for the most part, had a much more withdrawn participation in the game, taking up much deeper roles than what he has been seen in previously. Started attacks well but his best attributes could have been better utilized higher up the pitch.
Attackers
Raheem Sterling: 7/10- Looked much more fluid and capable with his movements off of the left. Elusive and tricky with his dribbling, but lacked that final bit of touch to finish or get an assist. Still very bright and threatening regardless.
Ethan Nwaneri: 7.5/10- Lively and always popping up in some places to try and get on the ball. Showed good intentions to create and looked to make things happen himself around the box, which yielded him a goal. Took the goal incredibly well, beating some players before curling the ball into the bottom corner.
Leandro Trossard: 6.5/10- Seemed a little out of sorts up front at times and dropped off to the left to try and get on the ball and create something. Eventually grew into the game and was able to make things happen on his own.
Substitutes
Jurriën Timber: N/A
Myles Lewis-Skelly: N/A
Kai Havertz: N/A
Declan Rice: N/A
Gabriel Martinelli: N/A
Manager
Mikel Arteta: 7/10- Put out a much-rotated squad for the game but still had a few puzzling choices. Managed the game well and made substitutions at the right time, resting key players or giving them limited minutes ahead of the big weekend game.
Also Read: Crystal Palace 1-2 Brentford Player Ratings: Mbeumo & Schade helped an away win for the Bees
What was the result of Girona vs Arsenal?
Arsenal won the game 2-1.
When was Girona vs Arsenal?
Girona vs Arsenal took place on January 30, 2025.
Who was the best player of the match in Girona vs Arsenal?
Ethan Nwaneri was the best player in Girona vs Arsenal.
Who was the worst player in Girona vs Arsenal?
Neto was the worst player in Girona vs Arsenal.