1-0: Almería lose away to Ponferradina yet again
A 69-minute stunner earns the hosts a win in a match with chances created during a highly competitive first half
UD Almería were haunted and daunted at El Toralín Stadium yet again. The Rojiblancos fell to an unlucky defeat again on their visit to SD Ponferradina. Both teams created goal-scoring opportunities during the first half, while it was the hosts who knew how to better read the game in the second period. A stunner by opponent Paris Adot after 69 minutes earned the hosts a vital win.
Rubi included new faces in the starting XI. One of them was the return of Lucas Robertone after serving a one-game ban and the other was Babić’s debut wearing the Indálicos shirt, taking the place of Iván Martos, sent off during the clash against Malaga CF at the Juegos Mediterraneos Stadium.
During the first 45 minutes both teams played their hearts out creating scoring opportunities so that anyone could have taken the lead. Just 4 minutes had passed when Dani Ojeda forced goalie Fernando into action, who was spectacular in a one-on-one play situation. With 16 minutes on the clock, the clearest opportunity for UD Almería was experienced as Largie Ramazani fired a powerful shot from the edge of the box that hit the crossbar.
In essence, both outfits were evenly-matched over the course of the first half, with UD Almeria trying to combine quickly, but it seemed that players did not quite connect with Sadiq up front. It was nil-nil at half-time.
The Rojiblancos were not at their best after the restart since Paris Adot scored with the help of a rebound. The scoreboard briefly recorded that goal but soon was disallowed as Yuri was ruled off-side. Ponferradina took advantage of the lack of drive from the UDA to get closer to the goal defended by keeper Fernando who had to intervene again to block another of Yuri’s fine efforts on 60 minutes. However, the Murcia-born goalkeeper could do nothing 9 minutes later because Paris Adot scored a stunner to make it 1-0.
Rubi looked for a reaction with some changes, but despite the fact that in the final stretch his players spent more time near the goal defended by Amir, there were no chances. In fact, it was still difficult for the Indálicos to connect with the final third and therefore, the second consecutive defeat of UD Almería away from the Juegos Mediterráneos Stadium was confirmed when the ref called time on a hard-fought game in Ponferrada.