The leader stumbles in and gives oxygen to Zaragoza

Real Zaragoza caught wind this Saturday by winning 1-0 against Leganés in the match corresponding to the eighteenth round of Laliga Hypermotion, played at La Romareda municipal stadium, in a rivalry that represents a change of dynamics for in both squads.

Well, after eight days without a win, Real Zaragoza need a victory to end the disastrous trajectory they entered after a fantastic start to the season, with five consecutive victories.

The last example of this bad white face is the previous match, against Albacete, where the coach, Julio Velázquez, made his debut on the Aragonese bench with a defeat.

In contrast, Leganés faced this match at the top of the table, but with the mission to achieve three points, after two consecutive draws in the league championship.

The locals come into this crucial rivalry with the absences of Cristian Álvarez, Nieto and Bakis, joined by Azón and Lecoeche, and the absence of Lluís López due to suspension.

In the case of Leganés, their coach, Borja Jiménez, recovered Undabarrena for the midfield and, in fact, he started on the La Romareda grass, while Abzi was unavailable due to injury.

Velázquez introduced some changes to the eleven and to the drawing, playing with three center backs and Mollejo as reference at the top, a method that suited the team in a rivalry that they clearly dominated.

So the locals were the ones who enjoyed the main scoring opportunities, with a very active right side thanks to the energy of Fran Gámez and his good combinations with Toni Moya and a fantastic Maikel Mesa.

The pepineros were patient in the first attacks of the whites, even with a noticeable lack of bite, as evidenced by the fact that their most dangerous occasion in the first half was carried out by goalkeeper Rebollo, when playing fire on the ball of the foot.

Their rivals, however, caused problems in the area defended by Diego Conde, with chances such as Maikel Mesa had in the 26th minute, sending him off after receiving a good pass from Toni Moya from behind.

It wasn’t until the final stage of the first half, in the 39th minute, that the initial tie was broken and it was, of course, Maikel Mesa who put the score at 1-0 after completing a sloppy play inside the area from close range. .

The second half began with Leganés more active than the first half and a Zaragoza that held back their strength against the attempts of the Madrid team.

But the rivalry was soon balanced, with both teams making pointless forays into rival territory, as the minutes of a peaceful second half for the Whites ticked by.

The locals were the protagonists of one of the most dangerous events, specifically, an impressive Mesa in the match, which barely reached the pass with very bad intentions served by Moya inside the area.

The local dominance was reflected in the fact that the visitors’ clearest chance up to that point came in the 83rd minute, with a shot from inside the area falling into the hands of Rebollo.

So, and although Leganés pushed in the final minutes, their harassment was not enough to change the score in a match where Zaragoza showed seriousness and clear improvement.

Data sheet:

1 – Real Zaragoza: Rebollo; Fran Gámez, Francés, Jair, Mouriño; Francho, Toni Moya (min. 89 Vaquero), Marc Aguado (min. 88, Bermejo), Germán Valera (min. 92. Borge), Maikel Mesa (min. 80, Grau); Gizzard (min. 88, Enrichment).

0 – CD Leganés: Diego Conde; Miramón, Jorge Sáenz, Sergio González, Franquesa (min. 87, Naim); Neyou (Cissé, min. 78), Undabarrena (min. 78, Djouahra), Raba, Chicco (min. 63, Portillo); Miguel, Diego Garcia (min. 78, Ureña).

Goals: 1-0, M.39: Maikel Mesa.

Referee: Salvador Lax Franco (Murcia Committee). He showed yellow cards to Aguado (m.28) and Mollejo (m. 34) from Real Zaragoza and Miguel (m. 65) from CD Leganés.

Incidents: The match corresponding to the eighteenth day of LaLiga Hypermotion, played at La Romareda municipal stadium in front of 21,728 spectators.