

Espanyol’s bright start to the La Liga season stalled on Friday as they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Girona. Sitting fourth before kickoff, Espanyol had the chance to climb to third, behind only Real Madrid and Barcelona, but couldn’t make their dominance count. They fired 20 shots but were denied time and again by Girona’s Argentine goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, who put in a superb display.
It was the first goalless draw of the La Liga campaign and a small but welcome boost for Girona, who had been struggling at the bottom. Last season’s Champions League side moved up to 19th with their third point from seven games. Remarkably, it was also the first time since May 13 that Girona managed to keep a clean sheet in competitive action.