3-1 | Eibar gets lost in the Almerian desert

The eleven

With an expedition marked by several last-minute absences, Beñat San José reshaped his eleven for the match at the UD Almería Stadium, lining up Jonmi in goal; Álvaro Rodríguez at right-back; Marco Moreno and Arbilla as the central defensive pair, and Buta on the left flank. In midfield, the area most affected by physical issues, Lander Olaetxea and Aleix Garrido formed the duo. Alkain and Corpas took the wings, with Javi Martínez in the attacking midfield position and Jon Bautista as the attacking reference.

Rowing against the current from the start

The script changed early on. An indecision in their own half allowed Almería to make the first shot on goal, which Jonmi deflected for a corner. In that corner kick, Lax Franco pointed to a penalty by Corpas for a foul on Álex Muñoz. Arribas took the ball and, with his left foot, placed the 1-0 before the fifth minute had passed.

With everything against them, the response from Eibar began. Eibar took control of the ball, imposed their dominance, and moved their opponent around until they found spaces. Opportunities came: first Javi Martínez, in the 16th minute, and then Bautista, in the 19th minute, had the chance to equalize, but luck was not on their side. That same luck, from a set piece, smiled on Almería. Álex Muñoz went all in for the shot and scored the 2-0 in the 21st minute.

Demonstrating their power, the sons of the desert returned to the Eibar area barely three minutes later, with a run by Chirino that ended in a cross deflected by Jonmi and, to the relief of the San José team, ended up at the feet of a player in a blue and red jersey.

Despite finding ways to reach the opponent's area and dominate at times, halftime arrived with another Andalusian mark on the scoreboard. All attempts by the Eibar team were neutralized by a solid Andrés Fernández, very secure between the posts, while Embarba, after a great run, beat the Amorebieta goalkeeper and made it 3-0.

A goal and a debut

SD Eibar tried to maintain their high pressing strategy, making it difficult for the opponent to build up and loading the box, without initially changing their players on the pitch. However, that plan did not yield rewards, and San José looked to the bench to call on Magunazelaia, Toni Villa, and Martón. Meanwhile, Embarba continued to trouble Jonmi around the hour mark of the game.

With the fresh energy, Eibar entered the box with greater intent, driven by the boldness of Martón, who, in the 70th minute, reached the byline and forced a corner, coming close to scoring. It wasn't in that play, but in the subsequent corner kick, when Arbilla finally beat Andrés with a powerful header at the near post.

The armero team tried to make the most of the match in search of a miracle and came close with two chances, one from Javi Martínez and another from Martón, but the score remained unchanged, and the reaction had no effect. They only found a positive note with a youth player. In the 82nd minute, and just three days after making his debut in the Copa, Hugo García made his professional football debut, taking the left wing of the armero attack.

What's coming

SD Eibar will return to Ipurua in the 13th round of LaLiga Hypermotion, which will bring Albacete BP to the Armero stronghold on Saturday, November 8, starting at 4:15 PM.