1-2: UD Almería restore their form against Real Zaragoza

UD Almeria ensured a remarkable victory at La Romareda Stadium against Real Zaragoza that proves their worth in the league. They picked up three vital points that boost their confidence. Luis Suárez grabbed a superb brace in a match very well played by the Rojiblancos. Rubi made five changes to the starting XI, some due to the absences and others due to a technical decision. Fernando was a new starter at La Romareda, replacing injured Maximiano; Edgar, in the centre of defence, making up for the absence of suspended Radovanovic; Bruno Langa, who returned to occupy the left-back position taking over Alex Centelles' spot; Melero, who operated in the midfield alongside Baba in Lopy's place; and Sergio Arribas, who stood on the right wing where Arnau Puigmal played last week.

 

With this starting XI, UD Almería were going to try to spring a surprise in a stadium where it's complicated to win and against opponents who are atop the table. Things couldn't have started better for the Rojiblancos, who in the 8th minute took the lead through Luis Suárez by converting a penalty awarded to himself. The Colombian did not celebrate the goal because of his Real Zaragoza past. Then, Real Zaragoza reacted quickly and 4 minutes later,  a set-piece header goal courtesy from Iván Azón levelled things up. 

 

The match, during these first 45 minutes, was characterised by two evenly-matched sides. There weren't many chances, but the clearest ones came from the Indálicos, who  gained momentum against Poussin's domains. 

 

With 31 minutes on the clock, Nico Melamed attempted to break the deadlock with a shot saved by the keeper. Melero, with a header, tried to finish the play, but the Zaragoza goalkeeper parried the ball away. In added time, Leo Baptistao, from the edge of the box, fired home to make it 1-2, but the referee disallowed it for offside after consulting the VAR. The guests from the south coast of Spain played a good first half, showing themselves effective and solid in defence and fearsome in attack.

 

The second half was once again, like the first, an exchange of chances between both teams, but on this occasion the most accurate were the Indálicos, who also knew how to perfectly stop the few engineered by the hosts. 

 

Rubi's squad had an excellent second half in which they showed a high level of defensive strength, knew how to manage the timing very well in the midfield with Melero directing and Baba showing his quality, and deadly in attack with very dangerous situations, enormous potential and grit. 

 

A few minutes after the restart, inside 53 minutes, Sergio Arribas was the target of a clear penalty after a good delivery from Melamed, but the ref chalked it off the goal for offside. In the 56th minute, the Madrid native once again excelled in a solo play that ended with a diagonal shot that narrowly missed. Although it was being an end-to-end game, UD Almería took on Real Zaragoza bravely and made their presence known in the final third by taking advantage of the spaces thanks to the speed in their game. 

 

In the 66th minute, Luis Suárez welcomed a  deep pass to lob the goalkeeper and make it 1-2. His second goal sealed this vital victory for UD Almería. Until the end of the match, the team had to suffer because Zaragoza, as is logical, pushed hard in search of the equaliser in a match that was really entertaining for all the fans. In injury time, a masterful save by Fernando prevented the Mañicos from going into full-time level.