Atlético Baleares defeat Atlètic Lleida (1-0) at Estadio Balear and move into second place
Atlético Baleares take three points against C.E Atlètic Lleida thanks to a Manu Morillo goal (1-0)
Atlético Baleares secured a hard-fought victory against Atlètic Lleida (1-0) in a match heavily affected by strong winds and with few clear chances for much of the game. The main surprise in the starting eleven was the presence of Manu Morillo leading the attack.
The opening minutes were marked by mutual respect between the two teams and a controlled tempo. The Balearic side tried to approach the opposition box with crosses and set-piece situations. In the 15th minute, Iván López delivered a dangerous ball into the area, although the Catalan defence managed to clear.
The wind was a constant factor throughout the match, making ball circulation difficult. In the 33rd minute, Víctor Morillo produced a great cross into the box that was once again cleared by the visiting defence. Morillo himself created the most dangerous chances for ATB in a first half played at a slow pace with few clear opportunities. Just before the break, Manu Morillo received a yellow card for protesting.
After the restart, the blue-and-white side came out with more intent. In the 47th minute, Moha slipped a very good pass into the area and shortly afterwards, in the 50th minute, a free kick taken by Jofre narrowly missed finding a teammate. Lache also produced a good attacking move in the opening minutes of the second half.
The decisive moment came in the 57th minute. Víctor Morillo delivered another perfectly weighted cross into the area and Manu Morillo, winning the aerial duel, produced a superb header to make it 1-0.
Shortly afterwards, in the 60th minute, coach Luis Blanco made a double substitution: Lache was replaced by Ramis and Manu Morillo by Darius.
Baleares pushed to extend the lead. In the 69th minute, Ramis tried his luck with a shot that was blocked by the Catalan goalkeeper. A minute later, another dangerous cross from Víctor Morillo found Darius in the box.
In the 75th minute there were more changes: Víctor Morillo was replaced by Juanmi and Rubén Bover by Sheriff. Just three minutes later, Juanmi had a huge double chance that could have made it 2-0.
The blue-and-white side continued to create dangerous attacks, although they lacked precision in the final third. In the 89th minute, Castell replaced Iván López. Deep into stoppage time, Darius found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
In the end, the team secured a narrow victory that allows them to move up one place in the standings.
The next opponent will be league leaders UE Sant Andreu on Sunday the 22nd at 12:00 at the Narcís Sala.
Luis Blanco’s comments
After the match, the Baleares coach admitted it was a difficult game:
“It was a bit of a flat game. The wind had a big influence on the play. Lleida are a very organised team with clear ideas. It might not have been our best match, but the uncertainty of the 1-0 scoreline also played a role.”
On the disallowed goal in stoppage time, he explained:
“It was a slightly confusing situation, but the assistant referee told me he saw it clearly.”
Blanco also highlighted the importance of the victory:
“Lleida needed points and made things difficult for us. For us it means moving up one place in the table and next week we’ll go up against the league leaders. The team is full of confidence.”
