In Girona’s first competitive meeting with Madrid, Machin’s men claimed a stunning 2-1 win at home to the La Liga titleholders on Sunday courtesy of a stirring second-half comeback.
Cristhian Stuani cancelled out Isco’s opener with his fifth goal in eight league appearances before Portu completed the improbable turnaround just four minutes later.
Girona 21/20 v Levante
But 43-year-old Machin, who guided the Catalan club to promotion last term, is determined to keep his players grounded.
“Obviously there was a celebration, but I haven’t seen any bottles of champagne,” Machin said at his post-match news conference.
“This is a mature team and we knew that we had a chance to beat a great team.
“We demonstrated our maturity by not showing excessive euphoria after the whistle.
“If you would have told me three years ago that this would be possible, I would have thought you were crazy.
“This result is for those who have been following us a long time. They have always helped us.”
Girona now sit 12th in their maiden top-flight campaign with three wins and three draws from 10 matches.
