THE Girona FC forward wrote his name into the history books, as no player had managed to put four past Los Blancos in more than seven decades.
Girona FC striker Valentín ‘Taty’ Castellanos stole the limelight on Tuesday evening when he dismantled Real Madrid’s defence to lead his team to a big 4-2 victory in LaLiga Santander Matchday 31.
Los Blancos did get off to a solid start, attacking Girona FC’s defence in waves in the opening stages, but Castellanos headed home just 12 minutes in after a great team move from Los Blanquivermells. It took the 24-year-old striker just a few minutes to complete a first-half brace as Girona FC hit on the counter and Castellanos made the most of an Arnau Martínez long ball to outmuscle Éder Militão and fire the ball past Andriy Lunin with a slick and composed finish.
This was the first time that Castellanos netted more than one goal in a game in his debut season in LaLiga Santander, but there was more to come. Vinícius Júnior pulled one back before the break to get Real Madrid back in the game, but a clinical Castellanos sent the ball into the back of the net with his first touch in the second half to complete a hat-trick. The Real Madrid defence could do nothing to contain an inspired Castellanos, who scored his fourth goal of the game just a couple of minutes after the hour mark.
Taty Castellanos makes LaLiga Santander history and a dream come true
Putting four goals past Real Madrid is anything but common. In fact, the Argentine forward became just the sixth player ever to score four goals in one LaLiga Santander game against Los Blancos. Moreover, he is the first footballer to do so in more than seven decades as the last man to net four times in a league game against the capital city side was former Real Oviedo forward Esteban Echevarría, who did so back in 1947.
“It has been a dream night,” Castellanos proudly stated in his post-match interview after Tuesday’s clash at the Estadi Montilivi. “I never imagined this. Thanks to all those supporting me, my family and my friends. We played a great game against a great opponent. It was a dream to score against Real Madrid, but scoring four goals was unimaginable. I am very happy for everything, for me and for the team. We are talking about the best team in the world but we competed very well.”
Míchel’s Girona FC are a joy to watch
Castellanos’ four goals were part of a vibrant Girona FC performance on Tuesday. Their display against the reigning LaLiga Santander champions was not a one-off, as Los Blanquivermells have been constantly earning praise for the spectacles they have been offering week in week out in 2022/23. In fact, the Catalan side, who came up through the LaLiga SmartBank playoffs last season, boast a top four attack in the division, with an impressive 48 goals scored in 31 games thus far.
Coach Míchel has done an excellent job with this team, putting several skilful players just behind Castellanos, such as Viktor Tsygankov, Rodrigo Riquelme or Aleix García. Then, the 24-year-old Argentine striker has been showing why he previously won an MLS top scorer prize while at New York City FC. In 2022/23, he already has 11 LaLiga Santander strikes.
With the Estadi Montilivi as their fortress, Girona FC have picked up more home points than 16 LaLiga Santander sides this season, averaging almost two points per game on home soil (30 from 16 matches). Tuesday’s clash against Real Madrid was just another reminder and further proof that newly promoted Girona FC are here to stay and that they, in the shape of Castellanos, boast one of the most explosive strikers in Spanish football.
