Facing Real Betis, Girona had a hard time witnessed by 54,086 spectators who filled the Benito Villamarin stadium.
Still in a lucky situation, they got 1 point in the 72nd minute. If Misehouy had not scored, Girona would have suffered their first defeat in round 1.
La Liga began and Girona quickly felt that how hard it is to maintain their excellent performances like the past season. In this season, they already lost some star players that will be one of disadvantage and impact their squad quality. This together with more attention from other clubs in La Liga, will put Girona at harder situation than the last season, where they were purely an underdog. In this season, they will have more difficulty to beat competitors in La Liga because better preparation and understanding of opponents on Girona, and decreasing quality of Girona too.
The competition that Girona will follow is not only La Liga, the Champions League is a competition that will force them to use various energies. If last season they were able to perform super, this season they may not be able to repeat it.
Playing in Champions League will be another challenge for a small club with limited player resource like Girona. This challenge is not easy to come through for a club with no experience in Champions League previous seasons.
Girona indeed failed to win in their first match but a draw is not a bad start either, especially since that 1 point is obtained through an away match. But I also agree with you, if Girona cannot improve their performance, then this will be a tough season for them because they will not only compete in La Liga but also have to play in the Champions League. With their current level and performance, it's still not enough to keep them safe in the Champions League.