1-1: UD Almería settle for a draw despite commanding display

It might be a cliché, but it reflects what happened to UD Almería against Sporting de Gijón on Matchday 3, the first fixture the Rojiblancos played at home this season. They created numerous scoring chances, and they were also very well organised, they shot on goal up to twenty-nine times, but they forgave and ended up paying for it, having to settle for a one-all draw. 

 

This point seems to be insufficient, however it does not lead to pessimism at all because this team plays good football, very good football. Centelles, in the 76th minute, opened the scoring 1-0, which already seemed like a victory, but inside 84 minutes, a counter-attack by the Sportinguistas led to the tie. The referee chalked it off at the request of his assistant for offside, however the VAR stepped in to validate it in a very controversial way. 

 

Although Rubi recovered key players such as Marc Pubill, Lucas Robertone and Leo Baptistao, the head coach opted for the same starting XI as the one in Tenerife, where the team brought great vibes to achieve the first victory of the season. And if things worked out then, although some aspects had to be adjusted in defence, why make changes, right? With the same formation they faced a Sporting side who, after two back-to-back home games with only one point added, were ready to spring the big surprise at the UD Almería Stadium. 

 

The Indálicos once again showed their signs of identity. They went out onto the pitch controlling the ball and putting in a commanding display, so chances didn't take long to arrive. As soon as the match kicked off, they squandered two in a row to have made it 1-0. UD Almería bossed the game, yet as in previous games, they were unable to close all the spaces in defence and this circumstance allowed the rivals from Asturias to create threatening situations in the final third. Maximiano had to deny them successfully a couple of times.

 

The initiative and possession continued to belong to the hosts, who continued to engineer chances. With 29 minutes on the clock, Kaiky kicked the ball to assist Nico Melamed, who tried to go over the visitor keeper, although lacking success. In the 36th minute, it was Luis Suárez who spurned a scoring opportunity through a solo play within the box. Nothing to separate the two sides at the interval 

 

 

Rubi made substitutions a few minutes after the restart and changed the right wing completely. Pubill came on for Pozo, while Leo Baptistao replaced Arnau Puigmal on the wing. The Brazilian boosted the attacking options with several clear-cut chances in a very short time. It was a matter of time before UD Almería took the lead because they reigned once again superior. Their way of playing with the advanced defence triggered some problems and on 63 minutes, Maximiano prevented a 0-1 lead for the Gijoneses. UD Almería continued doing their own thing and regained momentum in this second half in terms of dominance and clarity in the attacking plays. Finally, in the 76th minute, they opened the scoring 1-0, which already seemed definitive based on how things were developing, but shortly after, 84 minutes in, Campuzano grabbed the leveller on a counter-attack (1-1). The ref, at the request of his assistant, chalked it off for offside, however the VAR stepped in and after a few moments of uncertainty declared it valid in a more than controversial decision. 

 

There were only a few minutes to go, although they were enough for UD Almería to have scored since they once again had a myriad of opportunities; the clearest in the 87th through Leo Baptistao, in the 88th starring Marc Pubill, who crashed the ball into the side of the net and Luis Suárez in injury time ...they frittered away chances unfortunately.

 

Full-time: 1-1