Cristhian Stuani meets Castellón 17 years to the day after four-goal 3-5 win | OneFootball

Exactly 17 years on from a breakout display at Castalia, Cristhian Stuani will meet Castellón again on Saturday at Montilivi, now as Girona’s captain and record scorer.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, the Uruguayan faces Castellón on Saturday at Montilivi, the same date as his breakthrough in 2009.

He hit four in Albacete’s 3-5 at Castalia, scoring on 11, 35, 54 and 72 minutes. A minute later he was replaced and his replacement, Víctor Altobelli, promptly made it five.

Dani Pendín struck inside two minutes, before Stuani levelled and then made it 1-2 by the break. Sergio Mantecón equalised early in the second half, only for Stuani to push it to 2-4. Altobelli added a 73rd-minute fifth and Leo Ulloa made it 3-5 in added time.

The defeat arrived on matchday three of 2009/10 and deepened David Amaral’s poor start, after a draw with Hércules and a loss to Recreativo. Four more defeats followed before a first win in round 8, 1-0 against Betis, and a 4-1 over Cádiz.

Amaral was sacked, Tintín Márquez stepped in and the slide continued. Castellón finished last with 33 points from 42 games, relegated to Segunda B after five seasons, and won only seven times.

For Stuani, Castalia was a launchpad. He ended that season with 22 goals in 39 Segunda matches, a career best until 10 years later when he hit 29 league goals for Girona. He joined Girona in 2017, stayed through relegations, led two promotions and helped deliver Champions League qualification.

He has 50 Uruguay caps and eight goals, and played at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups. Now 39, he is in his 10th Girona season under contract to 2027, with 148 goals in 312 games, the club’s record marksman and professional appearance leader.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo

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