Sociedad Deportiva Huesca were held to a goalless draw against AD Alcorcón in a slow match that only became energetic in the closing minutes, when the Azulgranas intensified pressure against LaLiga SmartBank bottom team, in desperate search of a triumph but were undone by some poor finishing (0-0). In matchday 21, Joaquín, Nwakali or Pitta – who smashed the crossbar in the latter stages of the encounter – were not able to seal the victory in the last game both of the year and the first leg. New year, more football.
The first half was thick, just like the fog and mist hovering over the stadium, which did not lift by the end of the 90 minutes of the clash. In a first 45 with few chances to entertain the TV audience or warm up those in the stadium, the first one fell to Joaquín, in the 15th: He drove the ball forward before taking a low shot that Suárez eventually saved. Andrés Fernández answered just one minute later, by parrying away a shot from Juan Hernández that hit into the crossbar. On the stroke of the half-hour mark, Andrés had to produce one more stop after Juanma Bravo’s strike. The encounter continued even and drab, but an active Joaquín was close to score the opener before the interval. It was in the 36th, with a shot from the edge of the area that the hosts’ shotstopper blocked. From then and until the break, the big opportunities from open play were missing.
The second half brought two brilliant dangerous shots by Nwakali from the edge of the area. The first effort went into the arms of the keeper, but the second one – more powerful and better positioned – went wide near the right post of José Aurelio Suárez’s goal. Then, Xisco brought on Manu Rico, who made his first-team debut in LaLiga SmartBank to improve the midfield, in a day the boy will always remember. Later, the Majorcan replaced Gaich with Pitta, seeking to have fresher legs forward, but the big chances for SD Huesca would not arrive until the 83rd, when the Paraguayan unleashed a powerful left-footed shot that flew in hitting the crossbar to shock El Alcoraz. Escriche came on the pitch to strengthen the attack and some minutes later, Pitta had one more attempt, shooting from a tight angle, but the ball found Suárez’s gloves. The Altoaragoneses threatened their rival, who were kept in their own box during the latter minutes.
