There are now four in a row. The Real Zaragoza beat Bilbao Athletic 3-1 in the last friendly they will play this preseason against a rival from the Primera RFEF and continue to count their preparation matches as wins. Ibai Gómez’s team had to wait until the final stretch to decide a match where, although it was difficult for them to elaborate and reach the opponent’s area in the first half, goals from Pau Sans, Joaquín Delgado and Emil Hansson ended up shaping a victory that was decided in the last twenty minutes of play.
In addition, the match was marked by the scare of Diego González in the first half. The centre-back suffered a heavy blow to the head after a collision with a player from Athletic’s reserve team and had to leave the pitch on a stretcher. In strictly football, Real Zaragoza had difficulty generating danger for a good part of the first half and it was the Basque team who had the initial control and the first chances.
After the break, the Aragonese team improved and found the way to the goal in the 70th minute, when Pau Sans put Real Zaragoza ahead after a good combination on the right. Bilbao Athletic managed to equalise ten minutes later, but Joaquín Delgado’s debut had the best possible debut: the Andalusian striker took advantage of a cross from Pereira in the 82nd minute to score his first goal as a Zaragoza player. In stoppage time, Hansson sealed the victory with the final 3-1.
THE MATCH
After a heartfelt minute’s silence for the death of former Zaragoza player Adrualdo Barbosa Da Silva ‘Duca’, the ball began to roll on a field where Real Zaragoza drew a 4-4-2 formed by Westerveld in goal; Gabilondo, Tachi, Diego González, Escudero in defense; Ander and Lucas Terrer in the engine room; Jaume Jardí and Cuenca on the wings; and Pau Sans and Ademo as references above.
With these protagonists, the match adopted all the clichés of a pre-season friendly, having a start marked by the little rhythm and intensity that caused there to be hardly any approaches. Even so, it was Athletic’s reserve team that took control of the ball and added the first arrivals. In fact, a cross from the right flank of the Basque attack bounced incomprehensibly inside the small white area so that at the far post Vizcay managed to finish off a ball that Westerveld, with a great stretch, took out in extremis on the line.
A clear and clear goal chance that came moments before the biggest scare of the match occurred. A spectacular blow of heads between a player from each team ended with Diego González falling completely plummeting on the pitch under the concern and shock of his teammates. The assists came out on the run and after being treated for a long time, the centre-back, with a brain contusion, had to leave the field on a stretcher to make way for Barrachina.
After the shock, Real Zaragoza, who had had a hard time elaborating, advancing with the ball and, above all, reaching the opponent’s area, had their first chances thanks to mistakes by the Basque reserve team. A poor pass to his goalkeeper from Zarandona, gave Cuenca the opportunity to face the rival goal, but his shot was rejected by Santos. Moments later, Jardí stole a dangerous ball in the Basque ball, but was unable to take advantage of the mistake when he tried to dribble unsuccessfully past the rival goalkeeper.
PART TWO
On his return from the dressing room, Ibai decided to move the eleven and removed from the field an Ademo who had been seen a little lost in that advanced position and Jardí to bring on Vadillo on the wing and Joaquín Delgado who occupied the front of the attack in his first minutes with the white jersey.
With these changes, the Aragonese team came out more switched on and unlike in the first half, they added arrivals from the start. First, Pau Sans tried with a shot that did not find the three posts and later, a shot by Cuenca was deflected for a corner. Even so, the whites’ momentum faded and the minutes passed without any team being able to put the opponent in real trouble.
A situation that came to an end in the last twenty minutes of the match. In the 70th minute, after a good combination down the right flank of the Aragonese team, Gabilondo managed to put in a tense cross that found Pau Sans inside the area who, with his first touch, managed to put the ball into the Basque goal to put Ibai’s team ahead. Even so, ten minutes later, the Basque reserve team hit back through Korkut. The striker won the back of the white defense after a delivery from his goalkeeper and with a subtle chip he beat Westerveld to put the level.
Despite this and with a special goal, the Aragonese team managed to take the lead again in the 82nd minute. Delgado, who was playing his first game with Real Zaragoza, took advantage of a precise pass from Pereira from the left wing to score his first goal in the white shirt on his debut. In this way, the Andalusian striker achieved an advantage that in the final moments of injury time would be extended thanks to a new goal from Hansson. The winger took advantage of a goal kick by Westerveld that no one managed to clear to win the back of the Basque defense and thus finish against Santos with a low shot.
