SD Huesca rescued a valuable point in the latter stages of LaLiga SmartBank matchday 20 against Real Sporting de Gijón. The Azulgranas were reduced to ten men when Ignasi Miquel was wrongfully sent off for collecting two yellow cards, which made SD Huesca’s goal task more difficult. Nevertheless, the team fought to net the equaliser by means of Seoane (1-1). This has been the sixth successive game unbeaten for the Oscenses. Now it is time for Copa del Rey.
Two opposed dynamics seemed to meet in El Molinón. However, LaLiga SmartBank made it clear that it would be a very even and tough clash. The home team started willing to break their winless streak, calling into action the Azulgrana defence – wearing our unusual turquoise away kit on this occasion – rather early. Joaquín Muñoz was the change to Xisco’s side in attack for SD Huesca, but the team found it hard to exchange passes with him. Therefore, Sporting had space to attack, but were denied only by an outstretched Andrés, who kept it 0-0 at the break.
The Majorcan manager decided to make a substitution shortly after the restart, seeking to move the attack by bringing off Gaich. But when the Argentine was waiting to come on the pitch, Pedro Díaz scored for Sporting. He struck the ball beautifully on the half-volley, sending it soaring into the top-left hand corner of the net, beyond the outstretched arms of Andrés Fernández to make it 1-0. Xisco’s men needed to row upstream with all the second half still to play.
Coming from one down and with a man short for the final 20 minutes of the game due to Ignasi Miquel’s sending off, the encounter in El Molinón appeared ready for judgment, but the ‘No reblar’ (not giving up) spirit boosted the team thanks to a counterattack. Nwakali won a ball back and passed it to Joaquín, who found space, then drove the ball down the line getting rid of the defenders and powered a fast cross towards Seoane, just inside the area, who headed home for the equaliser.
In the end, we saw crazy moments, with efforts for both sides that could have meant the victory for either. Andrés Fernández had to pull off a standout save following a shot from Díaz, but a few seconds before the final whistle Joaquín crossed towards the area and it was close to be the second goal for the Oscenses. Finally, one point – a very valuable one.
