Girona take spoils in hard-fought Copa Catalunya final

Girona came out on top in the Copa Catalunya final, beating Espanyol 5-4 on penalties after a scoreless 90 minutes, in a game that was treated as a “pre-season friendly, but with a title on the line” by fans of both sides. 

More than 7,800 supporters, the majority of whom supporting Espanyol, defied the rain forecasts and packed into the Estadi Nova Creu Alta in Sabadell on Wednesday evening for the affair. 

Fans were eager to catch a glimpse of new signings and excited to meet up with their friends and colleagues for a game some two months after the end of the previous campaign. 

Spirits were high surrounding the stadium before kick-off, as the torrential rain that threatened to ruin the evening gave way about an hour in advance, letting fans enjoy a pre-match build-up in the bars surrounding the Sabadell municipal stadium. 

Growing rivalry

Despite it being the 2024/25 Copa Catalunya final, most fans saw the encounter as a pre-season fixture, simply a warm-up for the new season to come. 

Initially, the Copa Catalunya final was supposed to be played on a date in March or April, but no date was set, and it was eventually pushed back to July. 

Girona are relative newcomers to the top table of Spanish football, only playing half a dozen seasons in the top flight so far in their history. As such, a new rivalry is growing between the northern Catalan club and Espanyol, who have spent the vast majority of their history in the top tier.

Fans of both sides that Catalan News chatted with before the game noted that many Girona fans were also FC Barcelona fans, which was undoubtedly an element to the rivalry between the two clubs – but while the Girona fans said this acknowledgingly, the Espanyol fans meant it as an insult. 

Yet, Girona have enjoyed far higher highs than Espanyol have in the most recent seasons, with Michel’s side qualifying for the Champions League and competing against the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, and Arsenal last year, while the pericos on the other hand have suffered two relegations in recent seasons and are looking for some stability in the top flight. 

Espanyol fan Rafa hoped to win the game to “bring [Girona] back down” after getting “a bit ahead of their station” in recent years. 

Lluís, a Girona fan, pointed out that many from his side have a “Barça history” giving them a bit of “hatred, to a degree, not a violent hatred, but a rancour” towards Espanyol.

“These days, they think they’re the second biggest team in Catalonia, but they never will be,” said perico Juan Pablo.

Objectives for the season

Fans of both clubs consulted by Catalan News prior to kick-off all agreed that avoiding relegation was the number one priority for the upcoming campaign. Even though Girona enjoyed eight Champions League games last season, their domestic form suffered, and they narrowly swerved the drop. 

On the other hand, Espanyol still had doubts about their top flight status this year until very late in the campaign, with the chances of going down still alive when FC Barcelona beat them in the derby to clinch the La Liga title. 

Espanyol fan Rafa, however, deviated from the majority and is aiming higher. Now under new ownership and with a new project being developed, he set his objective for the club to fight for a European spot, which would likely mean a top 7 or 8 finish in the league.