Girona should not have played in wake of flood disaster, says Michel

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Updated: Nov 2, 2024, 03:46 pm

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Girona manager Michel believes their match against Leganes in LaLiga on Saturday should not have been played following the deadliest flash floods in Spain's modern history.

Girona won 4-3 but the game was overshadowed by the tragedy which has killed at least 211 people, with dozens unaccounted for four days after torrential rains devastated the Valencia region, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said earlier on Saturday.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick and Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone earlier criticised the decision to hold most of the LaLiga matches this weekend, a sentiment echoed by Michel.

"I wasn’t upset, but we shouldn’t celebrate anything since this match shouldn’t have been played," the Girona boss said.

"Taking three points after the physical and mental toll of playing in different competitions and travelling ... the team gives everything, and that’s very positive."

Michel acknowledged that their defensive performance was not good enough to effectively control the match.

"We competed well; the first half was very good, but we conceded two goals from situations we could have defended better," he said.

"Even though I wanted to make changes to bring in the young players at 4-2, the 4-3 score complicated things. It was a tough situation for them. As coaches, we want to control the game more, but it turned out this way."

Miguel Gutierrez, who opened the scoring, marked the goal by holding up a shirt that read, 'This is for you, Henry. Go Valencia'.

"The first shirt I lifted was for my friend Enrique, whose mother is missing. She was swept away by the current, and they’re still trying to find her," he said.

The 23-year-old said the past few days had been emotional.

"I believe the match takes a backseat. Aside from Madrid, the city I’ve spent the most time in where I have the most friends and connections is Valencia," Gutierrez said.

"I can assure you that I’ve seen videos and been on video calls with friends and it’s a complete disaster, an absolute nightmare." (Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)