Beginning the match 19th in an incredibly tight relegation battle and running out of games to pick up points, Girona wasted no time in showing their intent.
There was a roar from the stands when Joel Roca hit an early shot, despite it being a tame one that was routinely saved, and there was further encouragement when Viktor Tsygankov’s shot was tipped onto the post inside four minutes.
Tsygankov then came agonisingly close with a free-kick, but the hosts were dealt a scare when Alex Remiro swiftly played a superb ball forward to release Ander Barrenetxea for a flicked shot that Paulo Gazzaniga came out to save.
The Blanquivermells continued to push for an opener, and Azzedine Ounahi found Arnau Martinez in the box with some neat play, although the captain made such a mess of his shot that the ball went out for a throw.
Having overcome further pressure, La Real took the lead in the 28th minute when Gazzaniga cheaply conceded a corner that resulted in Jon Martin outjumping three Girona players to head home Sergio Gomez’s delivery.
The visitors suffered a blow shortly after as Barrenetxea limped off, but they at least remained ahead with Tsygankov heading wide and Remiro eye-catchingly tipping Ounahi’s shot over the crossbar.
Girona kept attacking after the restart, with Tsygankov having a shot blocked inside two second-half minutes.
Roca then curled a shot marginally past the far post and saw a header deflected into the side netting, while Mikel Oyarzabal resorted to cynically pulling down Ounahi to stop a breakaway and was booked.
Not to be held back, Girona finally found their equaliser in the 66th minute as half-time substitute Cristhian Stuani applied a clinical first-time finish to Martinez’s low cross, inspiring rapturous celebrations at Estadi Municipal de Montilivi.
iíchel’ introduced Claudio Echeverri in a late change that almost had immediate results, but the Argentine’s shot flashed agonisingly wide as Girona played were forced to accept their second consecutive draw.
That is enough to leave them three places and one point above the relegation zone, while they also sit three points behind 11th-placed Valencia. In doing so, they condemned Real Sociedad to a sixth LaLiga match in a row without a win.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Arnau Martinez (Girona)
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