A goal from debutant Darius secures victory against Valencia Mestalla (1–0)

ATB claim three hard-fought points against a strong opponent in a highly demanding match

The match got underway with Iván López making his first start after a long injury lay-off, while Iván Serrano returned to the starting line-up after several games coming off the bench. The opening ten minutes passed without a clear dominant side, as both teams sized each other up with caution. The first chance fell to the white-and-blues in the 12th minute, with a Bonet shot that was blocked by the Valencia defence.

Minutes later, Moha tried one of his trademark moves, but the ball sailed over the bar. Shortly after, Pablo García stepped in brilliantly, closing down space after a dangerous counter-attack from the Che reserve side.

In the 28th minute came the first setback of the game: captain Bover felt discomfort and was forced to come off, making way for Jofre Cherta. The match remained very open and Keita tried his luck again in the 37th minute, but his effort was stopped by the goalkeeper. In the 40th minute, Jofre was shown a yellow card after an arm clash. Before the break, Tovar had a good chance, but his shot went over the crossbar.

After half-time, Baleares brought on young Romanian striker Darius, who made his debut replacing Pachón. The clearest chance of the match came in the 57th minute, when Alejandro struck the crossbar after a fine pass from Senegalese winger Moha.

On 70 minutes, Víctor Morillo came on for Serrano to add more width and depth down the flank. The decisive moment arrived in the 76th minute: a mistake by the visiting goalkeeper was seized upon by Tovar, who flicked the ball on with his head for Darius, perfectly alert, to tap it home and score on his debut.

Valencia Mestalla pushed hard in the closing stages, but Pablo García once again came to the fore with a spectacular save in the 78th minute, denying a one-on-one. He still had time to make another excellent stop and seal a match in which ATB showed resilience and competitive spirit right to the end.

Luis Blanco’s press conference:

On the match:
“It was a very demanding game, against a team that arrived in great form.”

“In the second half you could feel the nerves and uncertainty, but the team stayed together and competed well.”

“They had a couple of clear chances due to our mistakes, but Pablo was outstanding and we managed to keep a clean sheet.”

“The level of demand was very high and, overall, I think the team delivered a solid performance. We’ve taken a step forward.”

Darius’ debut and goal

“In one move we managed to give him his debut and he scored his first goal, and I’m really happy for him.”

Winter transfer window

“You can tell that the players who arrived in this winter window have come to contribute to the team.”

Emotional aspect

“The most positive thing is that, in a context of uncertainty, the team was very strong emotionally as a group.”

The next fixture will be on Sunday the 15th, at 12:00, in Alcoi against Alcoyano.

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