Orihuela clung to its plan for a while, then Stuani’s first strike broke through. In the early phase, the home side even entertained the idea of a 2-1 edge, but as time wore on the logic of the contest became clear: Girona’s seasoned striker rose to the moment with two goals, and Míchel reintroduced his usual starters to inject life back into the match. From there, the visitors took control. Orihuela had shown bright football early in the second half, yet once Girona treated the affair with full seriousness, the hosts drifted from prominence. Gutiérrez, Savinho, and Couto posed continuous threats in midfield, while the Scorpion squad realized they faced a task that kept slipping away. Orihuela’s two scores had come from quick, well-timed set pieces in the first period, engineered by Mendi and Booker. The dream lingered until Stuani jolted Orihuela’s aspirations.
Orihuela withstood Girona’s onslaught for only six minutes, a window Pablo Torre seized with a fierce shot from the edge of the box. The opener forced the Scorpion side to shed caution in search of an equalizer. Torre stood out as a standout on the Los Arcos pitch, a co-leader in the First League who controlled the ball against a tenacious Orihuela outfit that hunted mistakes to spark counterattacks. Torre’s control announced Girona’s intent to press for a quick advantage.
In the 23rd minute Sergio Camacho unleashed a powerful strike that nearly caught the Girona goalkeeper off guard, who reacted superbly to push the ball away for a corner. The moment revived Orihuela’s belief, and three minutes later, from a set piece, Mendi delivered a precise cross that Armando met perfectly to restore parity. The match resumed with renewed urgency from both sides.
Just as Girona seemed ready to reclaim the lead, Aitor Arias produced a moment of sublime intervention that diverted the danger. Míchel’s relentless siege on the visitors appeared unyielding, yet Orihuela managed to frustrate every advance. Salinas launched a clean counterattack at the halftime break and threatened to tilt the balance again, but the Girona goalkeeper read the move to deny him. Shortly after, Bernardo found a shooting opportunity in a rare foray into the opposition area.
In the final exchange of the first period, a moment of pure joy emerged when Booker rose highest on a set piece and headed home to make it 2-1. The scoreline flipped against the run of play, a reminder that two well-executed dead-ball actions could decide a game even when the balance of play suggested otherwise.
Orihuela began the second half with intent, staying organized and pressing higher. They faced a Catalan side that looked more settled as minutes passed, and Míchel signaled his intent by bringing on three starters to inject energy and reorient the structure that had grown tangled in the opening phases of the second period.
Girona then applied measured pressure, pushing forward with purpose as the match moved into a higher gear. The visitors moved the ball with speed and precision, and Stuani’s presence became the catalyst for a decisive moment: a thunderous header that silenced Los Arcos and sparked the comeback narrative. The striker’s goal not only drew Girona level but set the stage for a late surge that would crown the night for the visitors. The clock showed twenty minutes remaining when Stuani converted a set-piece opportunity into a goal that tipped the balance definitively in Girona’s favor.
Orihuela found themselves chasing a game that had clearly tilted toward the Catalan side. They struggled to mount a meaningful response as Portu added another layer of damage to Girona’s attack, extending the advantage and reshaping the tactical map. The home side’s resistance faded as the visitors imposed their superior quality, leaving Orihuela to contend with a scenario that felt almost inevitable in the final stretch. Valery then added a fifth for Girona, delivering a clear finish to the cup clash and underscoring the margin between the two teams in the closing moments.