3-1: Slick Almería start 2021 with a convincing home win
Three goals, three points. Umar Sadiq’s hat-trick in half an hour seals an impressive victory for the Rojiblancos
UD Almería added the first three points of 2021 to their tally after producing a blistering performance to beat Ponferradina 3-1 at Juegos Mediterraneos. Umar Sadiq’s hat-trick in the first 45 minutes sealed a remarkable victory for the Rojiblancos, who took full control of possession in the second half to continue dominating until the final whistle (3-1).
No.9 Umar Sadiq was undeniably the man of the match. As soon as the Almería vs Ponferradina game kicked off, the Nigerian striker opened the scoring with a beautifully crafted team goal in which team-mate Manu Morlanes began the attack and Ager Aketxe provided Sadiq with a successful assist by passing a through ball.
The Almeria players felt absolutely comfortable and left their adversaries with no choice. Keeper Makaridze was not really exposed to danger between the sticks and the three goals followed one another when a way of performing was bordering on perfection. Thus, on 21 minutes, the African centre-forward reappeared spectacularly volleying home after Maraš finished off a corner-kick booted by Lazo, while with half an hour gone, he was in charge of netting his third from the 6-yard-box to complete his treble.
The game got to half time with Almeria truly on the front foot, yet Sadiq was again on fire getting involved squandering two more scoring opportunities to extend their lead. Caro denied the Nigerian and, shortly after, it was the post that avoided the fourth after a powerful strike at the hands of the No. 9 following a great control with his chest.
So far, so good. The Indalicos continued to dominate and create big chances over the course of the second half. Juan Villar, who had just entered the game replacing Umar Sadiq, failed to beat the goalie after Samú Costa’s spectacular individual play.
In the 75th minute, Almería were down to 10 men once the ref showed Akieme a direct red card. At first, the match official interpreted that the bookable offence deserved a yellow card, but he made up his mind after the VAR review. The uncertainty of this circumstance allowed Ponferradina to fight back from 3-0 down and stroke their first blow courtesy of Curro from the shooting third.
All in all, UD Almería’s triumph was not threatened at any time. Beyond doubt, the Rojiblancos continued stuck to their guns by keeping the ball moving at pace until the final whistle. This was the best way to kick off to 2021 with three goals and three points on the road.