0-0: UD Almería bag 1 point in Burgos as promotion race tightens

What a pity… after Deportivo La Coruña’s 88th-minute victory in Cádiz, UD Almería needed a win at El Plantío stadium against Burgos CF, the team with the best defensive record at home. Although the visitors competed well and created enough chances to take all 3 points, they were unable to do so, shared the spoils and now no longer control their own destiny in the battle for automatic promotion. They are level on points with the Galicians in second place, but Dépor hold the head-to-head advantage. The Rojiblancos added another point and with 3 fixtures still remaining, everything remains wide open.

For the third consecutive week, Rubi named the same starting XI, something that had not happened all season. But with the team showing positive signs, there was little reason to make changes, especially given what was at stake. That context led both UD Almería and Burgos CF to approach the game cautiously. Victory was crucial for both sides, but defeat would have been a major setback to their ambitions… even a draw felt risky. To make matters worse, the pitch conditions were dangerous after a heavy hailstorm before kick-off and the rain that followed left the turf extremely slippery.

During the opening 45 minutes, the game swung from end to end with no clear dominant side, although UD Almería looked the more threatening and created the better opportunities. In the 11th minute, Miguel de la Fuente struck the side netting after a fine individual run inside the box. Arribas then failed to finish off a counter-attack in the 21st minute, while Embarba hit the post with a low drive a minute later. In the 34th minute, Marcos Luna and Miguel de la Fuente both came close in quick succession.

Burgos CF also had their moments in that exchange of chances. Their clearest opportunity came in the 29th minute when Florian Miguel unleashed a powerful effort inside the area, only for keeper Andrés Fernández to produce a superb save.

The Indálicos worked up a sweat and passed the ball well in an attempt to break down Burgos CF’ strong defensive structure, while also looking solid at the back themselves. Well organised throughout, the visitors were eventually pushed back after the half-hour mark as Burgos CF enjoyed more possession and attacking pressure, though without seriously troubling them.

The second half belonged largely to UD Almería, albeit with a tense finish. The visitors controlled possession, although at times they failed to make the most of it and struggled to complete attacking moves with real danger. Still, they nearly found the breakthrough in the 66th minute when Léo Baptistão's effort drifted just past the top corner.

Knowing victory was essential, Rubi turned to his bench. Morcillo, Thalys and Nico Melamed all made an impact after coming on. Morcillo fired in a low cross-shot that slipped through the goalkeeper’s hands while Thalys almost converted before the goalie recovered in time to push the ball out for a corner. From the resulting set piece, Rodrigo Ely headed narrowly over.

UD Almería continued to push forward and take risks, which also gave Burgos CF opportunities on the counterattack. In the 70th minute, the VAR alerted the ref to a possible penalty for a handball by Bonini. After reviewing the incident on the monitor, the referee decided against awarding the spot-kick, judging the action to be accidental.

The Castilians nearly snatched the win in the 90th minute when Morante was denied by another brilliant save from Mr Fernández. Melamed then tried his luck in the 90+2' and 90+4', but without success.