1-4: Almería qualified for the second round in the Spanish Cup
The first-team Almeria squad beat CE L'Hospitalet, who made it very difficult despite the final score
Almería got through to the second round of Copa del Rey by beating CE L'Hospitalet. The Catalans made it very difficult for the Rojiblancos, who doubled the lead before half time. The hosts fought back from 0-2 down to draw after the restart, however they just manage to grab one goal. The Catalans surprised by their quality, yet Almería, who had a hard time playing on an artificial field, sealed their 1-4 victory with 89-minute goal from Ramazani, and shortly after, Aketxe slamming in the fourth.
José Gomes selected a competitive starting XI including players who have been competing regularly in the league, while some others made their debuts such as keeper Lluís, right-winger Appiah and centre-forward Jordi Escobar, who have not officially featured for the first team yet. Aitor Buñuel, Peybernes, Chumi and Centelles defended as a back four; the double pivot Robertone and César de la Hoz screened them; the attacking unit of attacking midfielders Olivera, Ramazani and Appiah, with a lone central striker Escobar.
The opponents, who are current leaders in their third-tier Segunda Division ‘B’ group, were not supposed to relax on their home soil. The Portuguese team coach made it clear the day before that he was absolutely surprised by their football style. Adriá Carmona’s free-kick hitting the woodwork within 5 minutes only went to prove their excellent quality.
Although Almería started bossing and controlling the game, CE L'Hospitalet soon reacted, playing with discretion and intensity. The game was tightly-contested with both sides showing commanding displays. The Rojiblancos, as their gaffer mentioned before, had to impose their football style to let them know that they are a higher-league team and above all, go all out to overcome the adversaries and that’s exactly what his team did making a difference.
In the 25th minute, a brilliant play by Robertone made it very easy to Appiah to score the opener. Almería were reigning superior and reached the top with clarity, but they did not complete their actions as much as they could; footballers, not used to artificial turf, slipped quite often. Nonetheless, with 39 minutes on the clock Ramazani, very active, tackled and Diego Martínez score an own goal, gifting Almeria their second goal (0-2) before the break.
The cup tie seemed to be won by the visitors, but as soon as the second half kicked off, the home team netted their first courtesy of Adriá Carmona raring to stage a comeback that fell just short (1-2). In this second half, Dani Albiar also made his debut this season and Juan Villar reappeared to do their bit. Almería had to pull their socks up against tough opponents once they found the back of the net. Fortunately, the players in their blue and black away kits had the key to victory with a goal from Ramazani after a sensational individual play. That was not the end since Aketxe slammed in the fourth in injury time.