Former and goalkeeper was Girona's hero on Sunday when he saved not one, not two, but three penalties against .
Girona, who finished third in last season, have found things tougher this term. Top scorer Artem Dovbyk left for Roma and Aleix Garcia joined Bayer Leverkusen, while Savinho - on loan from Troyes last term - .
Michel's team have just 12 points from nine matches, leaving them in 11th place going into the international break. Without Gazzaniga's heroics, though, they'd be even further down the table.
The Argentine's first stop came in the 28th minute, when Alex Berenguer won a spot-kick following a VAR check, However the Athletic star sent a tame penalty into the arms of the keeper.
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Girona then took advantage, going in front when a cross from Yaser Asprilla sailed beyond everyone and into the back of the net. The lead didn't last long, though, with Oihan Sancet quickly drawing the visitors level.
Athletic had another chance to take the lead early in the second half, again following a VAR check. Inaki Williams both won and took the kick, but his weak effort was easy for Gazzaniga. Athletic earned a reprieve, though, with the keeper having strayed off his line.
Williams left it to Ander Herrera to take the re-spotted kick, but he too couldn't find a way past Gazzaniga. There was yet more penalty drama, though, with Girona awarded a spot-kick of their own deep into second-half stoppage-time, and Cristhian Stuani squeezed the ball beyond Athletic keeper Alex Padilla for a 99th-minute winner.
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The result marks a move from zero to hero for Gazzaniga, who was the villain of the piece in Girona's opener. The Catalan side were level with Paris Saint-Germain going into stoppage-time at the Parc des Princes in October, only for the keeper to spill Nuno Mendes' cross over his own line.
"The team gave everything until the end and we got the victory, which we needed," said Gazzaniga, who joined permanently from in 2023 after a successful loan. ""With the work of Juan Carlos Balaguer, the goalkeeping coach, we had studied the shooters and it is also his credit".
Manager Michel praised the keeper after his team's victory. "Thank God, or Gazzaniga," he said, as reported by . "I'm happy for the three points but we have to improve more.
"I liked the second half as we made Athletic back off. With Stuani, it's a sure thing and I knew he would score."
Girona's next league game comes at home to Real Sociedad on October 19, once their players return from the international break. That is followed by another game at Estadi Montilivi, with Slovan Bratislava the visitors in the Champions League.
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