Zaragoza confirms its reaction against Almería

Real Zaragoza confirmed the reaction they had been experiencing in the last two matchdays, beating second-placed Almería 2-0, for whom the defeat represents a serious setback in their fight for direct promotion.

While the Aragonese team adds nine points out of nine in the last three games played and definitively leaves the fight for relegation behind, Joan Francesc Ferrer ‘Rubi”s team takes a step back in their fight for direct promotion since defeat could allow Real Valladolid to match them on points in the standings if they win in Tenerife this Saturday.

[+] See the summary of the match

With the victory, the Aragonese team equals its best record of consecutive victories this season, which it had only achieved once in the first round.

The ‘blanquillo’ team has changed in recent games in which they have gained in confidence, game, forcefulness and even fortune has smiled on them unlike what had been happening before.

The initial stretch of the game was crazy with a penalty in favor of Almería, a goal annulled by the VAR against the Andalusian team and a local goal in a center that ate the visiting goal. All this happened in the space of seven minutes, which were from 6 to 13.

In minute 6, the VAR indicated a penalty from goalkeeper Cristian Alvarez to Umar Sadiq, which was thrown by Dyego Sousa and was rejected by the Argentine goalkeeper who saved his team after another shot after his previous rejection.

However, in the continuation of the play, Zaragoza player Juanjo Narváez made a mistake by saving the ball that went down the wing and was left for Almería to put in a cross that, after a melee, was pushed by Sadiq into the net. In principle the goal was granted but again the VAR annulled the goal for offside.

What could have been 0-1 turned to 1-0 four minutes later due to a serious mistake by the visiting goalkeeper, “Fernando” Martínez, who failed to catch an innocent cross from “Francho” Serrano.

From then on, with a very intense game on the part of both, Almería went on the attack without concessions, leaving a lot of space behind them, before a handful team who had to defend themselves like a cat belly up to come out with danger to the against.

Fortune was not with the men of Joan Francesc Ferrer “Rubi” because they crashed a ball off the crossbar in the 26th minute through Dyego Sousa and another hit the post by Francisco Portillo in the 42nd minute.

Between the two, in minute 29, Narváez could have scored the second in a low shot that narrowly missed in a game with each team looking for the goal in a different way but both carrying danger.

The break tempered the spirits of one and the other and the beginning of the second period was very different. The visitors had lost that anxiety of playing a little almost desperately and that allowed the locals not to feel so overwhelmed and to balance the game by having more of the ball.

However, as the minutes went by, the Andalusian team was tilting the game towards the area tomorrow, although Real Zaragoza defended well and there were hardly any chances for their rival.

On the other hand, the entry of Iván Azón into the field began to generate chances for the team led by Juan Ignacio Martínez ‘JIM’. After saving the goalkeeper Fernando a clear chance for the youth player in the 78th minute, the striker from Zaragoza was rewarded for his insistence a minute later when he took advantage of a rebound in the following corner to score the second and close an important victory that could make his sights return towards the top.