Match report: the best things are worth the wait | OneFootball

After the hugely important victory in Tarazona, Atlético Madrileño returned to Alcalá de Henares to face FC Cartagena, looking to finally break their winless streak at home in 2026.

Fernando Torres’s side lined up as follows: Mario de Luis; Javier Boñar, Aleksa Puric, Daniel Martínez, Marko Perovic; Martín Bellotti, Javier Morcillo; Iker Luque, Rayane Belaid, Arnau Ortiz; Rafa Llorente. Esquivel remained with the first team, as did Julio Díaz. Javi Serrano did not get any minutes, even though he was initially listed as a starter in the lineup the club posted on social media (we assume it was just a minor mistake).

To summarize the match a bit: the opening minutes of each half belonged to Efesé, but they didn’t really establish overwhelming dominance, far from it. In fact, Madrileño ended up taking control of both the game and the creation of dangerous chances in the opponent’s area. Iker Luque tried on several occasions, as did Bellotti, Rafa Llorente, and Arnau Ortiz, but without success. The same goes for Chiqui, who, on the only somewhat clear chance due to a timing error by Dani Martínez, failed to convert his opportunity.

It’s not the first time in 2026 that the reserves have been superior to their opponent, but the truth is that this superiority was quite noticeable, and the feeling was that, even though the scoreboard showed a goalless draw, if the match continued in the same vein, it would eventually tip in favor of the home side. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Perovic raised alarms past the half-hour mark when he lay down on the ground with apparent discomfort in one of his legs.

The second half began precisely with Mati Barboza coming on for the Montenegrin who, as if that weren’t enough, will not be in Antequera due to being called up to his country’s senior national team. Then, Dani Martínez shifted to a more lateral role, with Puric and Barboza at the heart of the defense, joined by Morcillo dropping back during build-up play. Although there were moments when players like Rahmani seemed eager to break the deadlock before the rojiblancos, or with Rubén Serrano’s shot off the crossbar, the albinegros did little else.

Iker Luque, just like in the first half, was a nuisance for Nacho Martínez and Imanol Baz thanks to his dribbling, directness, and speed in one-on-one situations. A powerful left-footed shot after a brilliant solo run came within centimeters of being one of the goals of the week, if not for Lucho García once again coming to his team’s rescue. A few minutes later, it was more of the same with Rafa Llorente and Martín Bellotti as the main protagonists.

Torres made his move. Iker Luque couldn’t continue and asked to be substituted after a knock, with Miguel Cubo coming on in his place. Shortly before, Jano Monserrate and Jorge Castillo had replaced Rayane Belaid and Martín Bellotti, both of whom had put in a sensational performance. And then came the reward for persistence. This time, luck was on the side of the colchoneros. A through ball into space for Dani Martínez, who crossed to the far post, Aleksa Puric flicked it on with his head, Rafa Llorente got a touch as he tried to finish, and Cubo, right in front of goal at the penalty spot, made it 1-0 with a powerful shot. And Alcalá erupted with joy, as it could only be.

Koke Mota came on as the final substitute, and boy did he make a difference. He won the ball in his own half, carried it into the final third, and after receiving a pass from his namesake Castillo, was brought down in the box. Penalty for Madrileño, which Rafa Llorente converted by sending the visiting goalkeeper the wrong way, celebrating with the entire crowd, all aware of what the victory meant.

The reserves remain in 2nd place with 51 points, 3 behind Sabadell. In the next matchday, they will host Antequera on Sunday, March 29 at 14:15 to close out the month and keep the dream of a possible promotion alive.

Just like in '96.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.