Espanyol debuted three years ago in the Second Division against Albacete with a convincing and comfortable victory, with the makings of a First Division team. This Sunday, again debuting against the La Mancha team in the silver division, this time at Carlos Belmonte, the outcome was very different. Given the lack of signings and talent that makes a difference, Luis García's men appealed to intensity and to Fernando Pacheco, who saved two penalties, but it was not enough to hunt down a first victory that escaped in the 93rd minute due to a goal from Alberto Quiles.
El Alba, especially in the second part, uncovered the shortcomings of a parrot painting that will have to move in the market to avoid the path of suffering during its passage through hell. The promotion, by history and budget, is non-negotiable.
The initial staging of the blue and whites was good. The local team, accustomed to commanding matches, gave up the handle under good pressure from the visitors, who were able to open the game in minute 2 with a lash from outside the Melamed area to the crossbar. In the rebound, Jofre was unable to head on goal. The next two parakeet warnings also came from a long distance. Lozano ran into Bernabé and Lazo did not hit between the three sticks.
The good Spanish dynamic was cut short when Óscar Gil lost an aerial duel in the center of the field and in the subsequent counterattack he scored a penalty on Alonso. Manu Fuster, the most skilled of Alba, shot hard to his left, insufficient to avoid Pacheco's stretch and the subsequent impact on the post. From the possible goal from Albacete, he went past the parakeet in minute 40, the work of his centrals. After a corner kick, Cabrera combed the far post and Calero put his leg in to score the goal. The joy could have been fleeting, since a minute later Lazo committed the second maximum penalty for handball. Same protagonists and identical result, this time easier for Pacheco, who deflected a meek shot to the center.
Albacete, who played in the playoffs last season, took a step forward after the restart. Espanyol, on the other hand, gave up ground, entrusted to a transition, and only found light when Melamed had the ball. The youth squad player contributed in a dropper the quality in the wide zone that Darder showed, used the previous season in all games. Without the Spaniard, sold to Mallorca, the parrots were unable to keep the ball in a second half where they were at the mercy of the success of Rubén Albés' men. Gil and Cabrera, blocking two shots in the small area, postponed the joy of the local fans until the injury time, at which time Quiles, taking advantage of a dead ball in the area, confirmed the many pending duties of the blue and whites in the offices until the September 1st.
Bailiffs: Barnabas, Alvaro, Djetei, Glauder (Ros, m.67), Julius Alonso, Carlos Isaac (Agus Medina, m.67), Riki, Olaetxea (Pacheco, m.78), Fuster (Shashoua, m.78) , John and Hygienus (Quiles, m.53).
Spanish: Pacheco, Óscar Gil, Calero, Cabrera, Brian Oliván, Pol Lozano, Keidi Bare (Gragera, m.79), Melamed (Edu Expósito, m.87) Jofre (Omar, m.88), Lazo (Dimata, m .67) and Braithwaite.
Goals: 0-1, m.40: Calero. 1-1, m.93: Quiles
Referee: Cordero Vega (Cantabrian Committee). He showed yellow cards to the locals Olaetxea, Glauder and Ros, and to the visitors Calero, Óscar Gil and Pol Lozano.
Incidents: match corresponding to the first day of the Second Division league played at the Carlos Belmonte stadium before 11,618 spectators, with the presence of 400 Espanyol supporters.
