Eibar go top of the table, starting the second half of the season with a 1-0 win
It’s a third matchday in a row with a clean sheet
SD Eibar commenced the second half of the season and 2023 in the best way possible, going top of the LaLiga SmartBank table courtesy of a 1-0 win over Ibiza UD on Sunday night.
In the process of taking the three points and climbing into first position in the standings, this game at Ipurua saw the team collect a third consecutive clean sheet.
Los Armeros clearly dominated the game from the off, with a very dynamic Eibar side constantly searching for the opposition goal.
They were able to turn this dominance into chances and then what proved to be the only goal of the night, which was scored by Stoichkov in the 33rd minute. The striker was alert enough to pounce on a rebound after a Jon Bautista shot hit the post, with Stoichkov turning in to an empty net.
The goal was a deserved reward for a first half that was very impressive for Eibar, with possession approaching 70 percent.
In the second half, Ibiza were forced to push forward and, in the first 15 minutes of the second period, the islanders had a couple of chances to score, but Luca Zidane was in brilliant form to block.
As the minutes ticked on, Eibar once again took control of the contest and had the chance to put the game to bed, but they couldn’t find that second goal, leaving the result in the balance until the final whistle sounded.
The sound of that final whistle was music to the ears of the 3,739 passionate fans who braved the rain and the late kick-off time to witness their team’s 11th win in the 22 league games that have been played so far this season. All those points add up, leaving Eibar top of the LaLiga SmartBank pile!