Real Zaragoza leaves Martínez Valero alive and will have to certify the pass to the end of the play-off on Sunday at La Romareda. Those of Víctor Fernández took the initiative from minute one and were more orderly and with greater offensive intention than a Elche who took 10 in the 29th minute after the expulsion of Jonathan.
Víctor Fernández surprised in the starting eleven with the entry of El Yamiq in the center of defense despite having only two sessions with the rest of his teammates since he was injured. Zapater and Guitian were the other novelties.
The team accused the absence of Luis Suarez, something predictable, and in the first 90 minutes of the tie he only missed the goal. In the first half, Real Zaragoza lived in the opposite half for all 45 minutes and although he tried with distant shots from Kagawa and Guti, none found a goal and only Burgui in the last of the first half had the clearest chance after an extraordinary pass from Kagawa. The Zaragoza winger stood alone in front of Badia but missed the assistance of the Japanese.
The meeting went to rest with an equality on the scoreboard that did not correspond to what was seen on the field of play, and in the second 45 minutes the trend was the same both in the sensations and in the lack of success in the white players.
10 minutes into the second part, Linares touched the first goal of the game after a pass from Kagawa, the brightest of the team, but Fuentes forward did not arrive by centimeters. Five minutes after Linares’ chance, Real Zaragoza once again had the goal in a set piece after a corner kick that hit the back of an opponent and the ball crashed into the crossbar.
With the carousel of changes, including the Javi Ros entered a pitch seven months laterThe Blanquillo team continued to maintain control of the ball and Elche accused playing outnumbered because it hardly endangered Cristian Álvarez.
At the end, the match ended with the initial result (0-0), but with good feelings for the second leg in a tie that remains open and that must be resolved in La Romareda where the main slogan will be to ensure that Elche does not enforce the double value of the goals in the opposite field.
Datasheet:
Elche: Badía, Tekio (Calvo, 82´), Verdú, Josema, Cruz, Mfulu (Fidel, 57´), Folch (Josan, 82´), Milla (M. Sánchez, 71´), I. Sánchez, Nino (Escriche , 57 ‘) and Jonathas.
Real Zaragoza: Cristian, Vigaray, Guitián, El Yamiq, Nieto, Eguaras (Ros, 86´), Zapater (Soro, 56´), Guti, Burgui, Kagawa (Blanco, 86´) and Linares (Pereira, 78´).
Goals: there was not.
Referee: Ávalos Barrera (Catalan committee). He expelled Jonathas (min. 29) for a direct red by Elche. He admonished Josema (min. 71), Fidel (min. 87) and Verdú (min. 94) by Eche; and to Kagawa (min. 43) by Real Zaragoza.
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