Match report: El Madrileño back to winning ways despite the referee | OneFootball

The referee situation is no longer news, but what is news is that Madrileño won. Not because they haven’t enjoyed many victories this season—quite the opposite—but it had been four matches since they last took all 3 points, and alarm bells were starting to ring. It was a matter of patience and confidence in the work of Fernando Torres’s pupils.

The team led by El Niño lined up as follows for their visit to Sanlúcar de Barrameda: Salvador Esquivel; Javier Boñar, Gerónimo Spina, Daniel Martínez, Julio Díaz; Javi Serrano, Martín Bellotti; Rafa Llorente, Jano Monserrate, Arnau Ortiz; Miguel Cubo. The newcomer from Alcorcón made his debut in place of Iker Luque, and Gero Spina returned to the starting lineup due to the suspension of Aleksa Puric, who missed this match and the next two after being sent off by the FVS.

The first half was dominated by the red-and-whites but, as it turned out, that wasn’t enough. Because the opponent struck first on their first clear chance and took the lead, which was a cold shower for the reserves, who had previously been hurt by the disallowing of a goal for a non-existent foul by Cubo. That first incident would set the tone for the rest of the match. The team kept fighting against the tide, keeping possession and looking to create spaces with quick passing combinations from Boñar, Cubo, Arnau, Llorente, and Jano, who put in a sensational performance.

From a set piece came the second disallowed goal which, according to the FVS footage—which could be much improved, to put it mildly—was chalked off for offside. Meanwhile, a huge number of minor fouls slowed the pace of the game, only benefiting the home team. Third time was the charm: Arnau received a throw-in, slipped the ball to Jano, who feinted with a step-over and tried to assist, but after the rebound, Boñar picked up the ball and set up Cubo, who backheeled it into the net to finally make it 1-1.

But watch out, the second half was no different. Rafa Llorente grew in confidence and almost set up Cubo after a great individual play, and shortly after won a penalty that was ultimately not given because, after a FVS review, the referee ruled offside on a player who neither touched the ball nor interfered with the defender’s attempt to stop number 9. It drove even the calmest people crazy. The game plan didn’t change despite all the obstacles, and the long-awaited comeback arrived. Dani Martínez started the move from his own half with plenty of technical and tactical quality, switched play to the opposite side and, after a cross from Romeo Hueso that went through Rayane Belaid, Marko Perovic brilliantly assisted Arnau so the Catalan, with his weaker foot, fired a rocket into the top corner to consolidate his place as the league’s top scorer and send the 3 points flying back to Alcalá de Henares.

With this victory, Atlético Madrileño remains in second place but is now tied with Sabadell on 43 points. The ‘arlequinados’, with a game in hand just like Eldense, who couldn’t play their match in Villarreal due to the bad weather affecting the Mediterranean coast. Next stop: Gimnàstic de Tarragona at home.

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