Alavés - Girona ends 2-2 as Lucas Boyé rescues a late point and a Gasteiz prefiesta is left hanging

The alavés - girona draw leaves several groups on edge: a home crowd that expected a celebration after a prefiesta in Gasteiz, a coach who rotated his back line, and a striker — Lucas Boyé — who again carried the burden with a double late in the match. Boyé’s second, a header from a left-wing cross, rescued a point almost at the final whistle while Girona’s returning midfielder Ounahi had a decisive influence after coming back from absence since December.

Alavés - Girona impact: attendance, atmosphere and the immediate fallout

The pre-match mood in Gasteiz amplified the stakes: Alavés staged a ceremonial kickoff to honor Saski Baskonia, Copa champions in Valencia, turning the fixture into a prefiesta before the next day’s city celebrations. That atmosphere made the draw feel like a missed opportunity for home supporters. There were vocal complaints in recent weeks about frequent Friday and Monday fixtures, and the staff stressed that at home they must take three points, especially against direct rivals — a point of frustration after this result.

Match essentials (embedded, not a blow-by-blow)

The scoreline finished 2-2. Lucas Boyé, an Argentine striker, produced a brace and the late equaliser: a header from a Parada cross from the left that found Boyé’s run and leap. Girona had overturned an early Alavés lead; Vanat scored from a corner sequence and Tsygankov added Girona’s second in the 73rd minute, while Boyé struck at five minutes and again in the 89th. Ounahi returned from absence since December and played a decisive role for Girona, even forcing a save from Sivera on a chance that might have made it 3-1. The coverage of the match closed with a sign-off thanking readers and listing final statistics (specifics not provided in the available account).

Lineups, changes and injured keepers — the fine print that shaped the game

Managerial choices mattered: Girona’s coach kept the same starting XI that had won the previous meeting with Barça, while Eduardo Coudet rotated his defence at Alavés, bringing Jonny Otto and Víctor Parada into the back line for Pacheco and Facundo Garcés. Ángel Pérez started in place of Calebe, and Pablo Ibáñez returned to the team in place of Denis Suárez. Up front the pair Toni Martínez and Lucas Boyé combined early; Boyé’s opener arrived from a long Tenaglia pass to Yusi that ended in a left-back cross and a goalkeeper (Gazzaniga) who was judged slow to reach the ball — that goal was noted as Boyé’s sixth of the season.

In the first half, Aleñá threw himself into a 20th-minute block inside the area; Bryan Gil produced dangerous moments as Girona gradually took control. The equaliser around the half hour was the competition’s first goal from a corner this season: Tsygankov’s delivery, a Witsel flick, and Vanat finishing unmarked at the far post. In the second half Alavés began with renewed pressure — at one point Toni’s header was ruled out for an attacking foul — and later generated the best sustained chances even as Girona’s substitutions forced Alavés to sit deeper.

Goalkeeper issues were noted: Gazzaniga aggravated a finger injury in the match. Separately, the coverage references a winter signing, Ter Stegen, who had an injury after arriving from Barça (details unclear in the provided context).

Mini timeline

• 5' — Lucas Boyé opens the scoring after a long pass and cross; marked as Boyé’s sixth of the season.
• ~30' — Vanat equalises from a corner (Tsygankov corner, Witsel flick, Vanat at the far post).
• 73' — Tsygankov gives Girona the lead.
• 89' — Parada’s left-wing cross finds Boyé, who heads in the equaliser to complete his brace.

How each side reacts in upcoming fixtures will clarify whether this point shifts momentum; details of those next fixtures are unclear in the provided context.

Implications and what the draw means for the people involved

Here’s the part that matters: the result affects three groups immediately — the Alavés squad and coaching staff under Chacho Coudet (who now see Boyé as a clear go-to rescuer), the Girona side that benefited from a returning Ounahi and a productive Tsygankov, and the home crowd in Gasteiz, for whom the planned celebrations made a draw feel like a half-finished preparty. The players felt the pressure in different ways: Alavés produced the dominant second-half performance but failed to convert sustained danger into two match-winning goals; Girona’s bench moves eventually cut through and Ounahi’s return was decisive in breaking equilibrium at one point.

What’s easy to miss is how much the pre-match atmosphere and a late-game tactical retreat influenced momentum: Alavés led early, pushed strongly in the second half and created the clearer chances, yet their inability to finish let Girona regain control twice.

Final note: the live narration of the match ended with a traditional sign-off and a listing of final statistics; the account closes by stating the match finished with a split of points.

Sidenote — unresolved detail: a fragmentary description of a second-half sequence ends abruptly in the available account (minute 56 build-up involving Ángel Pérez and Toni Martínez), so that specific play’s conclusion is unclear in the provided context.