Vladyslav Vanat's two penalties propelled Girona to a 2-0 victory over Espanyol in a fiery Catalan derby held Friday in La Liga. The win, Girona's third in a row for the first time since November 2024, moved them up to ninth place in the league table. Espanyol, despite the loss, remained fifth.

The match, played at RCDE Stadium, was a tense affair with both sides displaying plenty of physical intent. Girona had the better of the first half. The breakthrough came in stoppage time when Omar El Hilali was judged to have pulled Hugo Rincón in the box. Marko Dmitrović, Espanyol's goalkeeper, initially saved Vanat's penalty, but the referee ordered a retake after VAR determined Dmitrović had moved off his line too early. Vanat made no mistake with his second attempt, firing the ball to the keeper's right to give Girona a 1-0 lead.

Espanyol came out strong after the break, and substitute Jofre Carreras went close to scoring twice shortly after coming on. However, Girona capitalized on spaces in the Espanyol defense as the home side pushed for an equalizer. With just seconds left in the match, Rubén Sánchez was whistled for a foul on Yáser Asprilla, resulting in another Girona penalty. Vanat again stepped up and secured the victory, sealing the 2-0 scoreline.

Espanyol's veteran defender, Leandro Cabrera, expressed his frustration with the referee's decisions. "The decision to give the first penalty was very harsh," Cabrera said. "There are a thousand similar situations that never get called back. We lost our patience. In the final minutes there was another penalty decision that killed the game. It's a pity because the match was pretty tight. A draw would have been a fair result".

Despite Espanyol's efforts, they couldn't find a way past Girona's Paulo Gazzaniga. The victory marked Girona's third consecutive win, while Espanyol's winless LaLiga run extended to three matches.