Atlético Baleares Defeat League Leaders Poblense (2–1) to Move Up to Third Place
Matchday 12 saw Atlético Baleares face league leaders UD Poblense, and Luis Blanco made two changes compared with the last game against Torrent CF: Gabriel Ramis and Moha Keita came in for Carlos Julio and Miguelito.
Before kick-off, the club honoured Francesc Fullana for his long career, with more than 208 appearances.
First half
Neither side dominated the early stages. Both teams produced attacking actions, but Poblense’s chances never really threatened.
After 25 minutes, Jaume Tovar earned a penalty after dribbling past several defenders before being brought down. He converted confidently to make it 1–0.
In the 37th minute, a neat one-two between Moha Keita and Gabriel Ramis ended with a cross into the box, but nobody managed to connect.
Four minutes later, goalkeeper Pablo García sent a long ball to Juanmi Durán, who broke into the penalty area. After beating the only defender, his attempt to set up Tovar was cleared for a corner.
The half ended with the league leaders pushing Atlético Baleares back, though their only clear chance – a header – went wide.
Second half
The match opened up after the break. Atlético Baleares pushed for a second goal while Poblense looked for the equaliser.
The visitors created the first dangerous moments: a volley and a chaotic scramble inside the box, both denied by Pablo García.
But Atlético Baleares continued attacking. On the hour mark, Tovar won a corner from a harmless action. Right after the restart, Miguelito replaced Juanmi Durán in the first change of the game.
Soon after, captain Jaume Pol played a perfect pass to Tovar, who dribbled the defence but, forced wide, couldn’t finish the move.
Poblense levelled moments later through their striker Joan Prohens.
In the 73rd minute, Luis Blanco made a triple substitution: Víctor Morillo, Manu Morillo and Axel Bejarano came on for Moha Keita, Ulrich Taffertshofer and the applauded Tovar. The final change arrived in the 82nd minute with youngster Català replacing Gabriel Ramis to strengthen the attack.
In the 85th minute, a flowing move down the right ended with a cutback that Català slotted home for 2–1.
Two minutes later, García produced a stunning point-blank save to prevent the visitors from equalising again.
Atlético Baleares had further chances to seal the win, but the referee’s final whistle confirmed an important derby victory over the league leaders.
Post-match press conference – Luis Blanco
«I’m pleased with our first half, although we lacked sharpness in the final third.»
«In the last minutes I could see we still have a lot of room for improvement.»
«It already happened against Espanyol: strong first half, poor start to the second. We need to keep our focus.»
«We knew it would be a demanding match against a team in great form.»
«We’re very happy with the three points.»
«Jaume Tovar was exhausted; he had a tough week.»
«We can’t afford more injuries, so we took him off to protect him.»
«Cata stepped up in key moments and gave us two goals.»
«The players coming from the bench brought great energy.»
«We focus on each game, taking it day by day and aiming to win every weekend.»
«We don’t look too much at the table; it’s very tight.»
Statements from Jaume Pol:
«Poblense came as leaders, so this was a very important win.»
«I agree with the coach: we need to improve, especially when we’re ahead.»
«Centre-back is a position I know very well.»
«Català is doing great; he trains with us every week.»
Atlético Baleares’ next match will be on 29 November against Atlètic Lleida, at 7 pm in Catalonia.
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