Girona dropped to Segunda división after a 1-1 draw with Elche at Montilivi on a night that changed both clubs' immediate futures. Elche secured survival, while Girona failed to get the victory it needed to stay up.
Álvaro Rodríguez put Elche ahead in the first half with a fine strike, and Arnau leveled after the restart to keep Girona alive. The tension peaked in the 80th minute, when Lemar rattled the crossbar with a shot that could have given Girona the win.
That miss proved decisive. Girona needed victory to save itself and never found the second goal, leaving the home side to suffer relegation in front of its supporters as Elche celebrated permanence.
The match had been a direct battle for survival, and the result made that plain from the final whistle. Girona's players shared the disappointment with their fans, while Elche's squad celebrated staying up in a scene that underlined how much was at stake from the start.
At the end, Míchel and Sarabia embraced, a brief gesture that summed up the emotional weight of a game decided by one goal, one equalizer and one shot off the bar. It was enough for Elche, and not enough for Girona.
Álvaro Rodríguez said after the match that he was very happy, that he loves the club, and that Elche deserves to be where it is. He added that he had dreamed of scoring an important goal, that the team had made history, and that all his victories go to his father, thanking him for the strength he had given him.
