2-1: Another misfortune comes over UD Almería this January
The Rojiblancos concede an early goal, VAR chalks off two goals, they pull one back, but lack pinpoint precision to snatch a point
The misfortunes that are coming over UD Almería this January are non-stop. The hosts edged their way past the Indalicos at the Anxo Carro. It was an action-packed match in which, beyond the absentees through injury and Covid-19 continue to be missing, a few unlucky events led to the Indálicos’ loss. UD Almeria conceded an early opener, but although a second goal doubled their opponents’ lead later, they did not give up hope at any time as they scored two goals that the VAR chalked off. On the other hand, the visitors dominated over the course of the second half, pulled one back, but they lacked pinpoint precision to take at least a share of the spoils. Anyway, Rubi's side are still top of the table 3 points clear of their direct rivals.
The match did not start well for UD Almeria, as only 3 minutes had passed when the hosts were leading 1-0. Manu Barreiro was in charge of converting an action in which the players from CD Lugo took advantage of an error in a delivery of the ball at the hands of the Rojiblancos’ defence. The reaction of Rubi's men was immediate, however the referee disallowed Ramazani’s equaliser for a handball after the VAR check. .
Despite the disadvantage, UD Almería were the squad that enjoyed the most possession and that made their presence known in the final third for the longest time. For that reason, it seemed that the leveller could come soon, so nothing foreshadowed what happened: 2-0 through a towering header from opponent Chris Ramos. It was the 23rd minute.
From there until the arrival of half-time, the visitors were the ones constantly popping up into the box. The home team goalkeeper dived to save Appiah’s powerful shot from the edge of the area and a new goal chalked off by the VAR within 35 minutes, considering the decision that the 2-1 should not be recorded in the scoreboard because the ball bounced off Babić’s arm after he headed in.
The restart of the encounter was accompanied by a double substitution: Portillo and Curro. It would be necessary to overcome a short period of game that had gone flat and in which none of the teams create much danger until there was a double chance from UD Almería in which keeper Óscar would be a key when saving a thumping strike by Ramazani first and the subsequent rebound shot by Curro.
The match was progressing towards the final whistle and Rubi —whose team continued to pile forward in attack, although lacking precision and composure in front of goal— rotated the squad once again. Arnau and Akieme came on for Robertone and Centelles. Meanwhile, CD Lugo learned how to play their cards so that the game became a bit slower and that the Rojiblancos could not fashion chances anymore. The Catalan head coach ran out of changes and brought Almeria ‘B’ youngster Raúl Caballero in as a reference high upfield.
With 88 minutes on the clock, UD Almeria built good momentum. At some point, they took one of the numerous corner-kicks that they enjoyed in the last minutes of the second forty-five minutes and the ball ended up in the back of the net (2-1) through opponent Pita’s own goal after Chumi flicked the ball on with his head.
CD Lugo survived a late onslaught. The share of the points was not possible as another misfortune came over UD Almeria this January. On a positive note, the Rojiblancos remain top of LaLiga SmartBank table 3 points clear of their nearest rivals.