Portu puts Girona back on top
GIRONA head coach Michel continued to talk down his team’s chances of winning La Liga after their 1-0 win at Rafa Benitez’s Celta Vigo yesterday sent them back to the top of the table. ‘Real Madrid win their games easily and the rest of us have a hard time, we are not at their level,’ said the minnows’ manager. But the league table tells a different story, with Girona one point ahead of Carlo Ancelotti’s side having played one game more. Madrid, who won 2-1 at Las Palmas, have the chance to reclaim top spot when they play their game in hand at Getafe on Thursday. Girona scored the only goal of the game in Vigo through Cristian Portu after 20 minutes from Miguel Gutierrez’s pass. ‘It’s a dream what’s happening to us this season,’ added Michel. ‘We have to appreciate what these players are doing. There are 16 games left and we are in a good position. It’s exciting and we will try to stay there.’ Michel, 48, is one of the names linked with the Barcelona job for next season after Xavi announced on Saturday — following Barca’s calamitous 5-3 home defeat by Villarreal — that he would leave the club in June. Barca overturned a 2-0 deficit to lead 3-2 with seven minutes left before crumbling at the death. Michel has admitted that at least a Champions League finish is now a realistic target for Girona, who are part of the City Football Group. ‘The points bring us closer to Europe because neither Real Sociedad nor Barca won,’ he said. ‘Can we make the Champions League? When there are 10 rounds left we’ll see.’ The result leaves Celta Vigo fourth from bottom and there were chants of ‘Rafa out!’ for coach Benitez. In Germany, Harry Kane scored in Bayern Munich’s 3-2 win at Augsburg to claw two points back in the Bundesliga title race after Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen could only draw 0-0 at home to Borussia Monchengladbach. Kane’s goal was his 23rd of the season and keeps him on course to break Robert Lewandowski’s club record of 41 goals in one season. Elsewhere, Jadon Sancho started for Borussia Dortmund as they beat Bocham 3-1 to stay fourth, with Niclas Fullkrug scoring a hat-trick.