GIRONA were denied a historic point against Paris Saint-Germain thanks to a late howler from Paulo Gazzaniga.
The former Spurs and Fulham goalkeeper made a 90th-minute gaff to hand PSG all three points at the Parc des Princes.
Girona are playing in the Champions League this season for the first time in their 94-year history.
The club have hauled themselves from the fifth tier of Spanish football to Europe’s elite.
And they more than held their own against a star-studded PSG in the French capital.
Girona appeared to be cruising towards a point when a desperate Nuno Mendes drove to the byline in the 90th minute.
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The PSG full-back sent over a wayward low cross, angling it straight at the well-positioned stopper.
Gazzaniga went down to collect the ball, only for it to spurt through his grasp and between his legs.
The 32-year-old sank to his knees as the ball rolled agonisingly into the corner, handing a jubilant PSG a 1-0 win.
One fan gasped in response: “Football is a cruel game.”
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Another joked: “Gazzaniga unleashing his inner Spurs.”
While a third added: “Gazzaniga is just as good as I remember.”
Following the contest, Girona manager Míchel Sanchez threw his support behind the keeper.
Sanchez said: “Mistakes are part of the game.
“Gazzaniga made three incredible saves…mistakes are forgivable, but a lack of attitude is not.
“That mistake by Gazzaniga is mine.”
Sanchez added that the stopper “has our full confidence.”
New Champions League format
Each club will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.
The top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.
Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.
The new Champions League format also sees the implication of two additional qualifying spots.
They will be awarded to the nations that are top of the “country coefficient” chart each season.
Gazzaniga’s journey has taken him from League Two with Gillingham all the way to the Champions League.
He joined Southampton from the Gills in 2012, before spells with Tottenham and Fulham.
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Last season, Gazzaniga was a near ever-present as Girona stunned La Liga to finish third behind giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.
They return to action in the CL against Dutch side Feyenoord on October 2.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
