Taty Castellanos, who is currently playing for Girona on a loan from NYCFC, showcased the potential of MLS on Wednesday with an outstanding performance. He scored four goals, which helped Girona defeat the defending European champions, Real Madrid, with a score of 4-2.Castellanos has now joined the shortlist of only five players who have scored four goals in a single game against Real Madrid. He has also achieved this feat as many times as he has scored four goals against all MLS teams combined. Castellanos scored four goals against Real Salt Lake in April 2022, and now he has replicated that performance against Real Madrid. He opened the scoring for Girona with a header from a cross by Miguel Gutiérrez from the left.Castellanos second goal was a challenge, as he had to compete against Éder Militão to convert a long ball into a scoring opportunity. Despite the challenge, Castellanos managed to gain an advantageous position against Militão, hold his ground, and score past Lunin for his second goal.Vinícius Jr. scored a goal for Real before halftime, but shortly after the second half began, Castellanos scored his third goal, leaving him with a hat trick. Yan Couto made a run down the right side and passed the ball to Castellanos, who had an open shot on goal. This was possible as both Militão and Dani Carvajal seemed to think the other had marked Castellanos.Castellanos kept causing problems for Militão and scored his fourth goal in the 63rd minute. Gironas short-corner tactic appeared to confuse Reals zonal marking, and Castellanos managed to create some space by positioning himself a yard or so behind Militão, enabling him to head in another goal beyond Lunin.Real Madrid managed to score a late goal through Lucas Vázquez, but it did not change the outcome of the game. Castellanos impressive performance is likely to increase his market value significantly. As a result of this unexpected win, Girona moved up to ninth place in the league standings. However, according to their coach Michel, this victory may not have come as a surprise.Michel, Gironas manager, highlighted in a press conference after the game that the 24-point difference between his team and Real Madrid may not accurately reflect the two teams abilities, given that Girona had already managed to secure a 1-1 draw against Madrid earlier in the season. Castellanos, meanwhile, described the win as a dream come true, adding that they played a fantastic game against one of the worlds top teams.
