2-0: Too much punishment for Almería
A fast-paced first half for the Rojiblancos with a penalty conceded that gave Mallorca the lead before half-time. Balliu was denied a clear penalty
UD Almería left Mallorca after receiving too much punishment according to what actually happened on the field of play. Two penalties were the highlights of a fast-paced first-half for the Rojiblancos. Firstly, Balliu was unlucky not to get a clear penalty and secondly, the one that put the hosts in front just before the break. After the restart the Mallorca’s efficiency was obvious. The leaders only needed one opportunity to double their lead (2-0) against Almeria, who struggled to break past their defensive line.
José Gomes continued to make rotation within the starting XI once again including Makaridze, Balliu, fit-again Cuenca, Maraš, Akieme, Robertone, Samú Costa, Corpas, Lazo, Villalba and Sadiq.
The two sides started the clash showing that they bound and determined to win to rise to the top of the table. So much so that various noteworthy interventions by the Georgian keeper were required, as well as various threatening ball combinations at the hands of the Indalicos. As the game progressed, the visitors would have more presence high upfield.
A 31-minute play could have changed the fate of the fixture. Iván Balliu stepped onto the box and was clearly knocked down by a rival. The match official awarded a corner-kick, but the replay showed that the action was more like a penalty than anything else. The VAR reviewed it, but did not understand that the ref should have consulted, so an obvious chance slipped through the Rojiblancos’ fingers.
Yes. At the other end of the spectrum, the home team were awarded a penalty since apparently centre-back Maraš handled the ball to concede the spot-kick that gave Mallorca the lead on 42 minutes. Abdón made no mistake from the spot (1-0).
The boys in their yellow and purple third kits sought to get into the game after the restart. In fact, Samú Costa’s strike from the edge of the box ended up grazing the post. Mallorca dropped back and waited for their opportunity to counter-attack, so that Gomes decided to strengthen the team’s attack with Juan Villar entering the pitch.
The islanders parked the bus to deny Almería’s fine efforts to draw level. The effectiveness of Luis García's men came to light when they took advantage of an error from Almeria for Salva Sevilla to pull one back and double their lead with 68 minutes gone (2-0). From that moment on, Almeria made all the attempts at goal until the end. Juan Villar squandered the two biggest chances.
At that time, the Almeria gaffer introduced Morlanes, Carvalho, Brian Rodríguez and Aketxe. The Rojiblancos squad could not get into the game and the conclusion left a bitter feeling that the result was an unfair punishment considering the considerable number of attempts and efforts made throughout the 90 minutes not to experience the second consecutive defeat in LaLiga SmartBank.