Round 20: Cadiz CF v. Atletico Sanluqueno CF
Still no news from either Ighort or Fluminense. Alessandro is certain they have a deal brewing in which they'd receive money.
We beat Sanluqueno in our first match of the season 3-1. This time they were visiting the
Ramon de Carranza.
Would we be ready to play after our winter break? While we hadn't played in two weeks, we had trained on every day but the two days off for Christmas.
GK: Alejandro
D: Albert Dalmau, Mikel Martins, Jose Maria Belforte, Moises
M: Kike Lopez, Mehdi Nafti, Jose Villar, Perico
F: Airam, Aymen Souda
Subs: Ricardo Chara (D), Josete (D/M), Tomas (D/M), Andres (D/M), Kike Marques (M/F)
The game got off to a hot start.
In the 2nd minute, Perico was tripped in the box. The ref waved off all our protests. I moaned at the ref and the 4th official for a while about the missed call.
In the fourth minute, Perico's corner was cleared out to Belforti. He controlled the ball and sent the ball back upfield to Souda. Souda whirled, beat a defender dribbles around the left side of the box and thumps a shot into the side netting.
All 2 weeks of work by Alejo Indias and me unraveled in the 18th minute. Their midfielder Guerrero played a ball up to their striker Nicolas Amerise. Belforti nipped in just as Amerise was trying to control the pass and poked the ball away. Amerise was quicker and got to the loose ball first. Instead of chasing Amerise, Belforti turned and headed back toward our goal.
Mikel Martins then stepped up to challenge Amerise leaving Robert open. Robert gratefully received the pass and slotted an easy finish past Alejandro.
0-1
Both Alejo and I facepalmed.
Sweet Jesus but we need a solid defender.
We immediately gave the ball back after the restart and the Sanluqueno players and bench were screaming for a penalty seconds later. I didn't see anything obvious. No, seriously. Not like Arsene Wenger. I actually had no idea what they were complaining about.
We eventually got our act together again and brought the ball down into the opposition's end. Dalmau and Kike Lopez tried several crosses, but they were all headed back out. Mehdi Nafti snagged the third clearance and passed across the top of the box to Villar. Villar shot high from 22 meters.
I got up off the bench and told the team to push up higher. We were giving them too much space.
It eventually paid off. We didn't give them time to play balls out of the back. When they did, they didn't have time in the midfield to pick out passes.
First in the 29th minute, Nafti won a tackle and played the ball back to Belforti. Belforti to Villar to Souda to Airam and Airam is in the box beating his defender. His shot whistled past the post.
Finally in the 33rd minute, we got our just desserts. Kike Lopez whipped in a cross. Atletico defender Polaco is on the wrong side of Airam and only comes up to Airam's shoulder. So Polaco wraps both arms around Airam to prevent him from jumping.
The ball sails past them, past everyone and out of the box. But I'm watching the ref. He points to the spot. We'd actually won a ****ing penalty.
I hadn't seen Airam miss a penalty in training all season including pre-season. He didn't now, either.
1-1
We kept up the pressure for the remainder of the half, but couldn't score thanks to our wayward shooting and the linesman.
Airam received a pass about 8 meters out directly in front of goal in the 41st minute. He was onside. I swear to you he was. But he was so open that I think the linesman just reflexively raise his flag. Polaco had completely lost his man. Airam had time to chest the ball down, look up and pass the ball by the Sanluqueno keeper. We should have gone into halftime leading. We should be leading 3-1.
I talked to both the ref and the linesman as they left the field.
I told the player's we'd been unlucky and to just keep at it and the goals would come.
They didn't.
The first 15 minutes of the second half was cagey and played in the middle of the park.
We created the first chance of the second half in the 60th minute. Dalmau and Kike had a great interchange down the right hand flank. Dalmau eventually plays the ball into the path of Airam. He beats Polaco, but Polaco does enough that Airam has a bad angle from which to shoot. His shot beats the keeper but trickles across the front of the goal. It eventually rolled out for a goal kick on the far side of the net.
We finally got our breakthroughin the 64th minute. Perico won a corner. He whipped in a ball to the sweet spot. The sweet spot is the closest spot to the goal where the goalkeeper won't come for it, but you have players crashing. Jose Villar started his run from beyond the penalty spot. He timed his jump perfectly. His header wasn't much of a header. It was more of a shoulder. But the ball looped over the keeper's outstretched hands of the top of a defenders head and into the goal.
2-1
The entire bench was hugging and jumping up and down. Eventually, everyone but Alejo took their seats. He was exhorting his defenders to protect that lead.
Poor Alejo. It wasn't to be.
They kept the ball in our half after the restart. Our defending was panicked and either Belforti or Martins were leaving their strikers open for chances.
The fact that they scored from some good fortune on a corner kick doesn't doesn't forgive our panicky and poor defending. It only says that Atletico were wasteful. Pina curled a ball to the back post. Alejandro back-pedaled, leaped but missed it. Martins had his man covered, leapt and headed the ball upfield. The problem was his header wasn't particularly high and it fell to Robert.
Robert had a nice channel through which to shoot, floating header dropping perfectly toward his favored right boot and a goalie laying on the ground at the far post.
2-2
We couldn't create another chance. They had two but couldn't convert.
I told them we were unlucky. It should have been 3-1 at halftime. I didn't remind them we were lucky that Sanluqueno wasted many good opportunities to break us but couldn't pull it all together in the final third.
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Losing a lead always hurts. We remained 6th in the table.
Christmas got in the way so I haven't updated in a little while but there are 3 or 4 chapters already 