The Unión Deportiva Almería got fully involved in the fight for direct promotion to the First Division of Spanish football after defeating Real Zaragoza this Saturday at home (0-2), a direct rival in that fight after a game in which the Visitors were superior and had a great effectiveness in a confrontation of rare occasions.
In a match in which, as they say, the points were worth double, the Andalusian team not only managed to take the three that were at stake in La Romareda but also placed two of the Aragonese team, which will continue second despite of the defeat, and it was made with the particular difference, since in the confrontation of the first round played in Almería a tie was registered.
(+) See the summary of the match
The team of José María Gutiérrez “Guti” showed again what is being a constant in football after the return to competition, the difficulties of the local teams to take the victory and that getting ahead on the scoreboard is, more than ever, tremendously important. In the case of the Maño team it is evident: two games played at home and the two lost.
In contrast, the Almeria team, which has only lost three games of the 18 played away, with seven wins and eight draws, is charged with morale and the thorn of the defeat suffered at home against the U.D. Las Palmas.
The beginning of the match was a struggle of both teams to get the ball and in that balance, although slightly decanted for the visitors, there were also a couple of shots from each side with some danger until Arvin Appiah, in a personal move, finished shooting with the toe in the 12th minute to overtake theirs on the scoreboard.
From there, Guti's team voluntarily took a step back to play against a rival who became the owner and lord of the ball, but who lacked speed in his circulation and that prevented Almería from suffering because the men of Víctor Fernandez barely approached the goal of Fernando Martínez with danger.
The Real Zaragoza players were too static in the first half, they lacked speed in their actions and also overflow thus facilitating the work of an opponent very well planted on the grass who waited to bind some against who did not arrive.
In the first minutes after the return of the changing rooms the Aragonese team accelerated their actions more and managed to approach the foreign area with a greater sense of danger, with a couple of balls especially crossed, but the clearest option at that time was the visitor Darwin Núñez that after a defensive error Cristian Álvarez went alone towards goal in the 58th minute but the ball went too far.
When Real Zaragoza was playing better minutes, with two excellent approaches to the rival area, Almería managed to link a great play from their defense that culminated Fran Villalba after a cross from the right by Iván Balliu that Darwin Núñez passed to end the game with the second goal in minute 69 because Real Zaragoza no longer had the strength to attempt the comeback.
Data sheet:
Real Zaragoza: Cristian Álvarez; French (Delmás, m.46), El Yamiq, Atienza (Clemente, m.50), Nieto; Soro (James, m.78), Raúl Guti, Eguaras, Burgui (Alex Blanco, m.69); Kagawa (Linares, m.69) and Luis Suárez.
YOU. Almería: Fernando; Balliu, David Costas, Maras, Iván Martos; Of the sickle; Corpas (Aguza, m.63), Vada (Petrovic, m.82), Fran Villalba (Jonathan, m.91), Appiah (Francis, m.63); and Darwin Núñez (Barbero, m.91).
Goals: 0-1. m.12. Appiah; 0-2. m.69. Fran Villalba.
Referee: Ais Reig (Valencian Committee). He warned locals El Yamiq (m.2), Francés (m.13), Alex Blanco (m.79) and Delmás (m.94) and visitors De la Hoz (m.24) and Martos ( m.66).
Incidents: Game played at the La Romareda stadium behind closed doors.