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The Toyota Yaris La Liga World pre-season tournament resumed action today as the two visiting sides from Spain and Australia faced off at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
This is the first occasion that an international pre-season tournament has been held in India with notable sides from abroad featuring alongside Indian side Kerala Blasters FC.
Melbourne City FC started the tournament on a strong note as they thumped the Kerala Blasters FC with a 6-0 scoreline as former Indian Arrows keeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem had a forgettable debut for his new side.
However, Girona FC came into this match as favourites owing to their pedigree from the La Liga, having beaten Real Madrid once in the La Liga Santander.
Girona FC began the game on a strong note with two goals inside the first twenty minutes as Cristian Portugues scored with two well-taken finishes after great passes from the midfield. The first half ended with Girona FC in a commanding 3-0 lead having dominated proceedings on the pitch.
Girona ended up winning the match with a 6-0 scoreline as Juanpe, Many and Porro added goals in the second half as the La Liga side continued their attacking momentum from the first half and did not allow Melbourne City FC any chances on their goal.
After tonight's huge win, Girona FC will face off against Kerala Blasters FC tomorrow evening at the same venue.
Girona FC
Bono (6/10) - The Girona keeper had a quiet first half as the bulk of attacking was done by the Spanish side and the Melbourne players did not pose any attacking threats.
Aday (6.5/10) - The right-back for the Spanish side was heavily active in attack and made a lot of moves on the flank. His cross from the edge of the box led to the third goal scored by Lozano from close range.
Bernardo Zuniga (6/10) - The central defender was a rock in the heart of the defence for Girona as they hardly let Melbourne City FC have any legitimate chances on the goal.
Juan Pedro Ramirez (7.5/10) - The centre-back was strong in his tackles and managed to keep the Melbourne attackers and resisted any attacks from the opponents with ease. 'Juanpe', as he is popularly known scored a header from the corner quickly into the start of the second half.
Timor (5/10) - The midfielder had a decent half in the match and moved the ball around well but was replaced at the end of the first half of the match.
Marc Muniesa (6.5/10) - The former Stoke City FC and FC Barcelona man was at his efficient best for the Spaniards on the pitch. He played just ahead of the defenders and made crucial tackles for Girona FC.
Pere Pons (7/10) - The No.8 for Girona FC created the first goal with a great through ball putting Portugues through on goal. He was the creative force in the middle of the pitch for the Spaniards.
Aleix Garcia (7/10) - The midfielder created a lot of chances from the midfield and had a couple of shots at the goal as well. He provided the assist for the fourth goal with a good corner that was headed in by Juanpe.
Borja Garcia (6.5/10) - The central midfielder did well to keep the ball in motion across the midfield for the La Liga side and was the Kickstarter of many attacks for the Spaniards.
Cristian Portugues (9/10) - The Girona leading striker scored just after the tenth minute with a clinical finish after getting on the end of a smart through ball from the midfield. He added another with a superb run and cheeky side-foot finish just before the 20th minute.
Anthony Ruben Lozano (7/10) - Lozano finished off an easy chance after a good cross across the face of the goal that left the striker with a simple tap-in finish.
Substitutes:
Alcaraz (6.5/10): The first change of the match made by Girona as Alcaraz replaced Lozano in the attack at the start of the second period.
Pedro Alcala (6/10): The central defender replaced Bernardo Zuniga at the start of the second half as Girona made a couple of changes.
Yhoan Many (8/10): The attacker came on after the hour mark and got his name on the scoresheet after a scrappy goal owing to a defensive mistake by the Melbourne defence.
He was the most impactful player in the second half creating chances with his great bursts of speed troubling the Melbourne City FC defence and created a goal in the added time of the match.
Porro (6/10): The substitute got his goal near the end of the match as he got his head to the cross put in by the impressive Many and his header bounced into the net over the Melbourne keeper.
Melbourne City FC
Eugene Galekovic (4/10): The new man in goal for Melbourne City FC began on a poor note as Portugues beat him twice inside the first twenty minutes of the match.
Harrison Delbridge (4.5/10): The defender had a tough night on the pitch as the Girona attack controlled the tempo of the game.
Nathaniel Atkinson (4.5/10): Atkinson was up against the highly creative and dangerous Portugues and struggled to keep the attacker in check.
Scott Jamieson (4/10): The defender had a poor night in the backline as the Girona FC side bullied the Melbourne defence with their quick passing and counter-attacking moves.
Luke Brattan (5/10): The tough-tackling midfielder was kept busy by the Girona FC midfielders who passed the ball freely in the centre of the park.
Mitch Graham (5/10): Graham was made to work hard by Girona FC as they dominated possession and controlled the tempo of the game.
Michael O'Halloran (5/10): Michael O'Halloran was active on the flanks for the Australian side but found it tough to break the resistance of the Spanish defensive lineup.
Riley McGree (6/10): McGree had a couple of attacking moves for the Melbourne side and came close to troubling the Girona keeper but was kept in check by the sturdy defence.
Bruno Fornaroli (5.5/10): The midfielder had a decent outing in the midfield and was part of a couple of chances in the box but did not produce the goods.
Dario Vidosic (5.5/10): The attacker tried to make good runs through the sturdy Girona FC defence but was unsuccessful for the most part. Unfortunately, he had to be subbed out in the first half as a precaution after a slight injury scare.
Lachlan Wales (6/10): The young striker created the only legitimate chance for the Australian side after some good footwork but failed to hit the target. He was a rare bright spark in the attack for the Melbourne side despite their attacking struggles.
Substitutes:
Anthony Caceres (5/10): The forward had to come on after the half-hour mark replacing Dario Vidosic in the frontline. He created a good chance for Fornaroli but it came to no fruition.
Dean Bouzanis (4/10): The keeper came on at the start of the second half after Galekovic let in three goals in the first period. Bouzanis began poorly as the Spaniards scored from the corner and another scrappy goal added to his misery.
Dylan Pierias (3.5/10): Pierias replaced Scott Jamieson in the Melbourne defensive lineup after the hour mark in the match.
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